Contemporary Theorists for Medical Sociology explores the work of key social theorists and the application of their ideas to issues around health and illness. Encouraging students and researchers to use mainstream sociological thought to inform their substantive research on health and healthcare, this text discusses the work of eleven influential contemporary thinkers - Habermas, Luhmann, Wallerstein, Bauman, Bourdieu, Foucault, Merleau-Ponty, Archer, Latour and Deleuze & Guatt. Each chapter includes a critical introduction to the central theses of a major social theorist, ways in which their...