Medical sociology in Latin America

Abstract

This chapter outlines the development of the field of medical sociology in Latin America, showing its links to other fields (the medical field, the scientific-academic field, and the field of power). A controversy has arisen within the discipline regarding its object and includes the political agenda of social sciences in health and the relationship between social sciences, medicine, and public health. On the one hand, a relatively autonomous medical sociology has emerged, one nested in some universities and research centers, and thus remains foreign to the health sector. It is an endeavor that can reach a high level of theoretical, methodological, and critical development but has little impact on health policies. On the other hand, government public health institutions promote the development of a “domesticated” social science for instrumental purposes and without a significant critical potential. The exception to the rule is Brazil, where collective health has gained pre-eminence unparalleled in other countries of the region. The chapter concludes by describing how these “debates” are shaped by the stakeholders’ position in the field.