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Power, Politics, and the Framing of Environmental Illness
Author(s) -
Shriver Thomas E.,
White Deborah A.,
Kebede AlemSeghed
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.1998.tb00480.x
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , politics , sociology , frame (networking) , public relations , political science , public administration , law , engineering , civil engineering , telecommunications
The medical community, along with other government agencies, has created its own frame of environmental illness. This frame has been generally accepted by the American public. In this paper we discuss framing in general and the factors related to how the environmental illness frame has been constructed and maintained. We offer a brief history of the medical institution and illustrate the frame with its definitions of environmental illness. Qualitative data from a study of Oak Ridge, a contaminated community located in Tennessee, are examined to analyze the consequences of challenging the environmental illness frame. Implications for future research are discussed.