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Editorial
Stephanie D Short
School of Public Health, Griffith University, Meadowbrook, QLD
Article Text
Contributors to Volume 6 of the Annual Review of Health Social Sciences were asked to examine social reconstructions of health knowledge within the changing social relations of health care. The articles in this volume reflect the current concern with knowledge, power and truth in health care, and the theoretical diversity within health social sciences in the mid 1990s.
The timeliness of this issue is evidenced by the fact that each one of the papers is based on research originally conducted as doctoral research, and the fact that this research was conducted in England (Hatt), the USA (Polgar), and in four of the Australian states (Collyer and Backhouse in South Australia; Guillemin in Victoria, Larsen and Hunt in Western Australia; and Garrett in New South Wales).
The papers reflect theoretical diversity in their backgrounds and in the topics chosen for investigation. Whilst the articles by Collyer, Polgar, Larsen, Hunt and Garrett are grounded in the discipline of sociology, the Guillemin, Hatt and Backhouse papers draw their principal intellectual inspiration from the history, philosophy and social studies of science. In addition, the objects of study in this volume range across the medical spectrum, from ulcers through menopause and low blood pressure, to HIV/AIDS and anorexia nervosa.
Several themes emerge in this volume. Firstly, the social construction of medical knowledge can be explained as a process of social, political and economic negotiation, specifically in terms of interaction between the pharmaceutical industry, the medical research establishment, and government regulatory and funding bodies (see Collyer & Backhouse). The second theme to emerge from this volume is recognition of the diversity of discourses (domains of knowledge and action) within health care which are used strategically as paradigms of research, and as belief systems which provide the ethical foundation and justification for research and practice (see Guillemin, Hatt, Polgar & Larsen). The third theme which emerges from this volume is the proposition that the medical research establishment does not enjoy a monopoly over the production of useful health knowledge.
Knowledge about health and illness is constructed by members of the community and health care practitioners in ways that contribute significantly to the health of individuals (see Garrett) and social groups (see Hunt). It is hoped that this volume may contribute to highlighting this perspective on health knowledge, and to increasing mutual understanding and respect between those inside and outside the formal medical research community.
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