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Sickness Work

Personal Reflections of a Sociologist

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. Gerhard Nijhof

    1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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  • Presents the everyday life of a sick person diagnosed with colon cancer

  • Connects the personal experience with sociological literature

  • Provides first-hand materials for academics or professionals in the field of social health, as well as for everyone who are experiencing a serious illness

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
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  2. Introduction

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 1-7

  3. Disruption

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 9-20

  4. Incantation

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 21-31

  5. Collective Disruption

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 33-41

  6. Sickness Work

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 43-66

  7. Control

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 67-79

  8. The Outside World

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 81-99

  9. Legitimation

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 101-111

  10. Epilogue

    • Gerhard Nijhof
    Pages 113-116

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 117-124
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Keywords

About this book

This is the story of a professor of Medical Sociology, diagnosed with colon cancer. He undergoes the appropriate medical treatment. Passing through that trajectory, he realizes that things happen that he never read about in the professional literature. During his illness and rehabilitation he scribbles down notes about what is happening to him, what he is observing and what things do not tally with his knowledge of the sociological literature. This continuous connection of personal experience with academic literature is what makes this book such a powerful account of the ‘everyday’ life of a sick person.

Recommended to teachers and students in the field of social health research; to everyone who works in health care, professionals as well as volunteers; and to men and women who themselves are experiencing a serious illness.

Reviews

“This book is a mixture of illness experiences, opinions (especially about medical sociologists), thoughts, evaluations, and self-reflections. These mixed voices allow Nijhof to shed new light on living with serious and mortal illness.” (Peter Conrad, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Brandeis University, USA)

“Nijhof’s insights on patients’ loss of everyday innocence, the security of hospital treatment, the alteration of the body in illness, the challenges of night time for patients, the shrinking of social networks, all show the value of bringing a sociological perspective to patient experience. His normalizing of the experience is the greatest vindication of Sickness Work.” (Steven M. Albert, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerhard Nijhof

About the author

Gerhard Nijhof is emeritus professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Sickness Work

  • Book Subtitle: Personal Reflections of a Sociologist

  • Authors: Gerhard Nijhof

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0326-5

  • Publisher: Palgrave Pivot Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-13-0325-8Published: 24 May 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-13-0326-5Published: 08 May 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 124

  • Topics: Medical Sociology, Medical Anthropology, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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