IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v72y2011i11p1826-1837.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Caught in the crosshairs: Identity and cultural authority within chiropractic

Author

Listed:
  • Villanueva-Russell, Yvonne

Abstract

In this paper the discourse over identity and cultural authority within the profession of chiropractic in the United States has been analyzed using critical discourse analysis. As the profession struggles to construct one singular image, versions of self must be internally debated and also shaped in consideration of larger, external forces. The dilemma of remaining tied to a marginal professional status must be balanced against considerations of integration. Written texts from chiropractic journals and newspapers are analyzed in a multidimensional approach that considers the rhetorical devices and thematic issues of identity construction; the representation of various voices within the discourse (both heard and unheard); and the extent to which external pressures affect the projection of cultural authority for the profession. A heterogeneous discourse characterized by conflict was found, with discrepancies between everyday chiropractors in actual practice versus academic chiropractors and leaders particularly over the idea, practice and significance of science for the profession.

Suggested Citation

  • Villanueva-Russell, Yvonne, 2011. "Caught in the crosshairs: Identity and cultural authority within chiropractic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1826-1837, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:11:p:1826-1837
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953611002127
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cant, Sarah & Sharma, Ursula, 1996. "Demarcation and transformation within homoeopathic knowledge. A strategy of professionalization," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 579-588, February.
    2. Villanueva-Russell, Yvonne, 2005. "Evidence-based medicine and its implications for the profession of chiropractic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 545-561, February.
    3. Wardwell, Walter I., 1994. "Alternative medicine in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 1061-1068, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Brosnan, Caragh, 2017. "Alternative futures: Fields, boundaries, and divergent professionalisation strategies within the Chiropractic profession," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 83-91.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tovey, P. & Broom, Alex, 2007. "Oncologists' and specialist cancer nurses' approaches to complementary and alternative medicine and their impact on patient action," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(12), pages 2550-2564, June.
    2. Broom, Alex & Adams, Jon & Tovey, Philip, 2009. "Evidence-based healthcare in practice: A study of clinician resistance, professional de-skilling, and inter-specialty differentiation in oncology," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 192-200, January.
    3. Kelner, Merrijoy & Wellman, Beverly & Welsh, Sandy & Boon, Heather, 2006. "How far can complementary and alternative medicine go? The case of chiropractic and homeopathy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(10), pages 2617-2627, November.
    4. Almeida, Joana & Gabe, Jonathan, 2016. "CAM within a field force of countervailing powers: The case of Portugal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 73-81.
    5. Brosnan, Caragh, 2017. "Alternative futures: Fields, boundaries, and divergent professionalisation strategies within the Chiropractic profession," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 83-91.
    6. Ana M. Ning, 2024. "Syndemic Connections: Overdose Death Crisis, Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, September.
    7. Shuval, Judith, 2006. "Nurses in alternative health care: Integrating medical paradigms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(7), pages 1784-1795, October.
    8. Villanueva-Russell, Yvonne, 2005. "Evidence-based medicine and its implications for the profession of chiropractic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 545-561, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:11:p:1826-1837. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.