Patienthood at the Crossroads: Health, Activism, and the Remaking of Authority and Expertise from HIV/AIDS to Covid-19
- Date
- 21 August 2025, 17:00–18:30
- Location
- University Main Building, University Main Building, Room XI
- Type
- Lecture
- Lecturer
- Steven Epstein
- Organiser
- Department of History of Science and Ideas and Cemtre for Medical Humanities
- Contact person
- Ylva Söderfeldt
- Phone
- 0184711569
Open lecture with John C. Shaffer Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University
Epstein's research in medical sociology has had a significant impact on various disciplines within the humanities and social sciences, especially science and technology studies (STS). His best-known works address how patients acquire and challenge medical expertise, as well as the impact of patient movements on medical research processes. These works are based particularly on studies of AIDS activism.
Epstein has published numerous articles in journals such as Social Studies of Science, Sociological Forum, Social Science & Medicine, and Theory and Society. He is also the author of Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of Knowledge (California, 1996), as well as Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in Medical Research (University of Chicago Press, 2007), both of which have received several awards. His latest book, The Quest for Sexual Health: How an Elusive Ideal Has Transformed Science, Politics, and Everyday Life was published in 2022. Epstein's texts are widely used as course literature at universities around the world, and his works on patient activism are considered standard texts in the field.