Contested Illnesses Research Group
Brown University , Providence RI

The Contested Illnesses Research Group was established in 1999, based on grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Science Foundation. At present, the Group has funded projects through the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

This multidisciplinary project began initially to study disputes over environmental causes of asthma, breast cancer, and Gulf War Illnesses. Over time, the scope of our inquiry has expanded to examine the formation and impact of Health Social Movements more generally.

The interdisciplinary research team integrates the perspectives of medical and environmental sociologists as well as scholars from science studies and public health. We strive to integrate these disparate approaches with an additional critical lens of the sociology of social movements, by characterizing the field of Health Social Movements and further developing a systematized approach to studying them.

In doing so, research stemming from this program will broaden the scope and character of the sociology of social movements; advance knowledge in the sociology of science, sociology of knowledge, and political sociology; and contribute to the theoretical and empirical advancement of medical sociology and environmental sociology.

Faculty and students who participate in the Contested Illnesses Research Group are also involved in a variety of other research collaborations both within Brown and beyond. To read more about these projects, please explore the information and links on the pages for each member's biosketch.