title: Asthma, culture, and cultural analysis: continuing challenges.
abstract: Recent research indicates that asthma is more complicated than already recognized, requiring a multilateral approach of study in order to better understand its many facets. Apart from being a health problem, asthma is seen as a knowledge problem, and as we argue here, a cultural problem. Employing cultural analysis we outline ways to challenge conventional ideas and practices about asthma by considering how culture shapes asthma experience, diagnosis, management, research, and politics. Finally, we discuss the value of viewing asthma through multiple lenses, and how such "explanatory pluralism" advances transdisciplinary approaches to asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Technology Studies, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA, fortum@rpi.edu.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fortun
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fortun
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Costelloe-Kuehn
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saheb
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kenner
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crowder
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011057:Politics; D011287:Prejudice / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index