Public Health and Social Theory

This book examines the public health dimensions and significance of various social and cultural phenomena in China. Using concepts from medical anthropology and medical sociology, it shows how these phenomena reflect larger social, economic and cultural forces.Comprising four parts covering fourteen cases, the book addresses critical issues such as health inequalities, social attitudes toward HIV/AIDS, drug use among young people, elderly suicide, the role of Buddhist temples in providing senior and end-of-life care and the future of traditional Chinese medicine. Examining these phenomena through theories of social hierarchy, the sociocultural construction of life's value, biopower and local biologies deepens our understanding of some of China's most pressing public health challenges in a global context and holds the key to addressing these problems.This book is essential for scholars and students of medical anthropology, medical sociology, public health and social medicine. It is also useful for researchers studying health inequalities and biopower and for public health practitioners and policymakers addressing China's health challenges.