Citizen participation as political ritual: towards a sociological theorising of ‘health citizenship’

TY - JOUR

T1 - Citizen participation as political ritual: towards a sociological theorising of ‘health citizenship’

AU - Komporozos Athanasiou, Aris

AU - Fudge, Nina

AU - Adams, Mary Ann

AU - McKevitt, Christopher John

PY - 2016/8/26

Y1 - 2016/8/26

N2 - This article examines citizen participation in health research, where funders increasingly seek to promote and define ‘patient and public involvement’ (PPI). In England, the focus of our study, government policy articulates a specific set of meanings attached to PPI that fuse patients’ rights and responsibilities as citizens, as ‘consumers’ and as ‘lay experts’. However, little is known about the meanings those who take part in PPI activities attach to this participation. Drawing on ethnographic data of PPI in three clinical areas (stroke, cancer and pre-term birth) we investigate citizen participation in health research as political ritual. We identify tensions between policy-driven and ground-level performance of citizenship, and use ritual theory to show how such tensions are accommodated in participatory structures. We argue that the ritual performance of PPI neutralizes the transformational potential of citizen participation, and we draw wider sociological implications for citizen participation beyond the health arena.

AB - This article examines citizen participation in health research, where funders increasingly seek to promote and define ‘patient and public involvement’ (PPI). In England, the focus of our study, government policy articulates a specific set of meanings attached to PPI that fuse patients’ rights and responsibilities as citizens, as ‘consumers’ and as ‘lay experts’. However, little is known about the meanings those who take part in PPI activities attach to this participation. Drawing on ethnographic data of PPI in three clinical areas (stroke, cancer and pre-term birth) we investigate citizen participation in health research as political ritual. We identify tensions between policy-driven and ground-level performance of citizenship, and use ritual theory to show how such tensions are accommodated in participatory structures. We argue that the ritual performance of PPI neutralizes the transformational potential of citizen participation, and we draw wider sociological implications for citizen participation beyond the health arena.

U2 - 10.1177/0038038516664683

DO - 10.1177/0038038516664683

M3 - Article

SN - 0038-0385

VL - 52

SP - 744

EP - 761

JO - Sociology

JF - Sociology

IS - 4

ER -