Contested Illnesses

The politics and science of health and disease remain contested terrain among scientists, health practitioners, policy makers, industry, communities, and the public. Stakeholders in disputes about illnesses or conditions disagree over their fundamental causes as well as how they should be treated and prevented. This thought-provoking book crosses disciplinary boundaries by engaging with both public health policy and social science, asserting that science, activism, and policy are not separate issues. As growing numbers of organized groups in the environmental health movement raise questions about contemporary science, medicine, and policy, their critiques show how the contribution of environmental factors in disease is often overlooked. Contested Illnessesbridges a gap between science and policy by offering a synthesis of political economy, environmental justice, health social movements, science studies, community-based participatory research, environmental public health, medical sociology, and environmental sociology.