Introduction- Illichs theory of medicalisation

Within this blog we will be discussing the meaning of “medicalisation” and Illich’s notion of “medical imperialism” as well as coherent arguments from other sociological theories of the body. We will be looking at how all aspects of life are controlled by the medical establishment and by using different contemporary issues to delve into the history of how they have been medicalised while analysing concepts of ‘deviant’ bodies and ‘normality’ of the body.

Contemporary issues discussed within this blog will be Death and dying; HIV/AIDS and Men’s bodies

Medicalisation has been studied since the 1960s. (Pitts, 1968). Medicalisation is the social construction of illness being replaced by the corporate construction of disease. (Moynihan 2002: 886). The term ‘medicalisation’ describes the problem and process in which non-medical problems begin to be treated as medical problems. (Conrad, 2007). This is usually due to them adopting such medical framework of treating such ‘problems’ with medical intervention. Conrad (2007) attempted to define and explain medicalisation within society, however the definition may now be considered limited. Conrad and Schneider (1980) provided an elaboration of medicalisation, providing knowledge upon the assumption that medicalisation can occur upon multiple levels. Such levels in which medicalisation can occur includes the conceptual level and the institutional level.

Ivan Illich was a great philosophy born in 1926 at Vienna into a family of minor nobility with Jewish, Dalmatian and Catholic root. He was forced to leave Austria in 1941 ,his family move to Italy .In following years ,Illich studied natural science in Florence and philosophy and theology at the Gregorian university in Rome. He receive a Ph.D. in the philosophy of history at the University of Salzburg, were he developed a strong interest in the medieval understanding of suffering. He became well known international he lived still the year 2002 before he passed away.

“Medicalisation, taken as an extension of medical authority in different areas of everyday life… when behavior deemed to be deviant is transferred from the social to the medical arena.” (Illich 1976 cited in , Fainzang2013: 489). Although Illich (1976) within his critique of medicalisation defined such as ‘medical imperialism’, it is not solely based upon the expansion of medical establishments. Within pre-industrial societies, death, illness and misfortune was characterised by ‘God’ and natural disasters. However within modern society due to industrialisation, risks are calculated by social or economic causes such as pollution and working conditions. (Beck, 1992). In order to control such factors we attempt to regulate them in order to calculate the risk. We are said to be living in a ‘risk society’ however such risk is often seen as a paradox. (Beck, 1992). Such medicalisation may be argued to have been exaggerated and seen as too conspiratorial. (Bury, 1986).