Foundations of Biosocial Health

In content this volume is clear and thematically coherent.... [T] he authors are to be congratulated on their international perspective.... This volume makes a persuasive case for the expansion of research into this area. This book would be of particular interest to those familiar with the theoretical traditions on which it is founded. With its substantial theoretical content, this text would be most useful to scholars and postgraduate students who are interested in research that focuses on the intersections of contemporary social theory, health and illness and medical sociology. I eagerly await the next instalment in this volume. * Sociology of Health & Illness *
In Foundations of Biosocial Health the role of stigma as a powerful and enduring social-structural factor in health is highlighted and underscored. Through eloquent case studies on substance abuse, obesity,  and HIV/AIDS, the authors discuss how the psychological and emotional scarring of stigmatization can result on poor physical and mental health, and that health is ultimately best understood  by using a framework  that examines the interactions between human biology and the social environment. Given that recent research is showing the linkage between racism (and discrimination) and adverse health, this book is timely and highly informative. -- David Himmelgreen, University of South Florida