Call for Papers

Medical Sociology Association - Sociology of Cancer Study Group

BSA Annual Meeting

University of Leicester

23-27 March 2002

 

Proposals are invited for papers in the Sociology of Cancer Stream at the BSA annual conference.  The last day for submission of papers to the BSA is September 30 2001.  Please mark your abstract for the Sociology of Cancer Stream.  Abstract submission details: www.britsoc.org.uk/events/annual 2002.htm.  For further information contact Jonathan Tritter  [log in to unmask]

 

The Sociology of Cancer Stream

The sociological study of cancer, in the broadest sense, provides unique opportunities to extend theoretical thinking within the sociology of health and illness as well as play an important role in highlighting issues that should be fed into the development of policy and practice.  The nature of cancer and its treatment has few parallels in terms of its complexity in organizational and professional terms.  The meaning of cancer and its treatment, at an individual level raise issues of stigma, risk and mortality often transforming identity and lifestyle that do not relate directly to patterns of biographical disruption.  People with cancer experience periods of acute illness as well as exhibiting characteristics of the chronically ill and the 'healthy' these all have implications for theorizing about cancer as ! an illness and the nature and impact of the illness experience and how it differs from typical models in the sociology of health and illness.

 

At a societal level, the high media, public and political profile makes cancer a point of contestation around which debates around health, illness, disability and inequality are manifested.  The sociological study of cancer highlights particular social issues related to stigma, risk and mortality all of which are important to understand the impact of cancer on the diagnosed individual, carers, health professionals, voluntary organizations and researchers as well as society.

 

This stream provides an opportunity to bring together the growing number of sociologists working on cancer and to consider the utility of a Sociology of Cancer.

 

In particular we are keen to explore the following broad areas:

·  Illness experience; The meaning of cancer, cause, risk, lifestyle, engaging with treatment and medical and lay knowledge.

·  Issues related to caring: caring work, organization of time, support, transformation of lifestyle.

·  Issues related to mortality, death, dying and bereavement: perceptions of mortality, impact of truncated lifespan, nature and understanding of terminal status.

·  Issues related to the impact and meaning of social space and setting: the work and definiti! on within professional/medical settings, negotiating personal space, role of support groups, the place of the community.