Globalization and medicine in Trinidad.
In a qualitative study of urban Trinidadians who work in the medical industry, the concept of medical globalization was provisionally analysed. Two research questions were addressed: what is globalization, in the context of mainstream medicine, and how is this process manifested in everyday practices? Four fundamental principles of medical globalization emerged from in-depth interviews and analysis of observational materials: (1) the notion of history as an autonomous force with globalization as the latest stage, (2) the expansion of 'Total Market' philosophy as a driving social force, (3) the fragmentation of society into atomistic, self-interested, and competitive individuals, and (4) the adoption of a 'centralised' set of ideals as the normative core necessary for social order. In this paper, findings from this investigation and their implications are discussed. In particular, medical globalization is linked with major themes in medical sociological theory including dualism and medicalization.
Reznik
David L
DL
Department of Sociology, University of Florida, FL 32601, USA. dreznik@ufl.edu
Murphy
John W
JW
Belgrave
Linda Liska
LL
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003132:Commerce; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology; D010684:Philosophy; D012922:Social Change; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago