Patienthood as Identity and the Intersectional Failings of the Clinic

• In Event: 4344 - Culture, Racialization and Intersectionality (Co-sponsored with the Section on Race, Gender, and Class)

Abstract

In this paper, I trouble the notion of what counts as an intersectional identity in the study of healthcare. Through a qualitative exploration of the experiences of Black women with advanced cancer, I posit that cancer patienthood, one’s identity as a cancer patient post-diagnosis, is itself an important identity in studying the experience of health and illness. I describe the way the intersections of race, gender and patient identity impact experiences of patienthood, relationships with providers and understanding of disease and prognosis.

Author

• Jennifer Elyse James, University of California, San Francisco