Latin American Perspectives on the Sociology of Health and Illness

The sociology of health and illness is a rapidly growing field. Yet, as a field, it has suffered from a remarkably limited perspective dominated by scholarship produced in the global north. Scholars in the sociology of health and illness have been late to enter debates in global health and have generally failed to learn lessons from work originating in the global south. To begin to address this limitation, this edited collection features notable contributions from Latin American scholars exploring key issues, including sickle cell disease in Brazil, cancer and Chagas disease in Argentina and reproductive health in Mexico. This collection, offering a snapshot of the rich and nuanced research being conducted in the region, offers readers valuable lessons. It is our argument that Latin American health sociology has much to offer the larger field of sociology - both for what it can teach us about Latin America in and of itself, and for what this field of scholarship can teach us about health and illness as broadly defined. This collection challenges readers to think about the global nature of health inequalities. Rich in empirical data and theoretical substance, this book is an essential collection for readers interested in understanding the sociology of health and illness. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Health Sociology Review and as individual papers in Global Public Health and Critical Public Health.

Fernando De Maio is Associate Professor of Sociology at DePaul University, Chicago, USA. Ignacio Llovet is Full Professor of Sociology at Universidad Nacional de Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Graciela Dinardi is Professor of Research Methods at Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Introduction 1. Blurred logics behind frontline staff decision-making for cancer control in Argentina 2. Sexual and reproductive health: perceptions of indigenous migrant women in North Western Mexico 3. Reproductive health and Bolivian migration in restrictive contexts of access to the health system in Córdoba 4. Doctor-patient relationships amid changes in contemporary society: a view from the health communication field 5. Social disparities producing health inequities and shaping sickle cell disorder in Brazil 6. Socio/Ethno-epidemiologies: proposals and possibilities from the Latin American production 7. Mitigating social and health inequities: Community participation and Chagas disease in rural Argentina 8. Chagas disease in non-endemic countries: 'sick immigrant' phobia or a public health concern? 9. Extending the income inequality hypothesis: Ecological results from the 2005 and 2009 Argentine National Risk Factor Surveys