The social construction of health and illness has become a major area of focus within the sociology of health and medicine. There is growing interest in how the experience of illness is situated at the nexus of collective understandings, individual subjectivities, personal embodiments and larger economic, social and political structures. As we continue to experience the effects of COVID 19 pandemic, the constructivist perspective enables us to open up useful lines of further inquiry. The project will focus on illness narratives to analyze the emerging moral landscape of COVID 19 where the boundaries of health and illness blend into one another. How do individuals navigate this landscape as they negotiate various symptoms and conditions that may remain undiagnosed? How do they seek help for these conditions? In-depth interviews will be conducted to focus on how gender and class intersect the experience of illness.
In cooperation with Dr. Emine Öncüler Yayalar (Bilkent University).
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