ABSTRACT

Social Theory and Health Education brings together health education scholarship with a diverse range of social theories to demonstrate the value and impact of their application to associated health and education contexts.

For the first time, this book draws together cutting-edge research that demonstrates the productive and impactful ways social theory can be applied to the diversity of research in this field. Topics covered include digital health, health education in sexuality, gender and health, food and nutrition, mental health and wellbeing, environment, and alcohol and drug use. In exploring these topics, each author utilises different theorists and concepts to compellingly demonstrate their application to a range of health education research contexts.

This collection provides examples for both students, early career and established scholars that showcase ways that social theory can be utilised in empirical and theoretical research. The collection also highlights how health education scholarship can be enhanced by engaging with social theory. It also explores the viability of various theories for work in this field, and their potential to generate new approaches for research.

chapter 3|14 pages

Biopedagogies and family life

A social class perspective

chapter 4|11 pages

The ontological politics of partying

Drug education, young men and drug consumption

chapter 8|12 pages

Assembling affects

A Deleuzo-Guattarian approach to school drug education

chapter 9|11 pages

Critical policy studies and historical sociology of concepts

Wellbeing and mindfulness in education

chapter 10|10 pages

‘School refusal’

What is the problem represented to be? A critical analysis using Carol Bacchi’s questioning approach

chapter 11|12 pages

Health education policy and curriculum

Bernsteinian perspectives and a whole new Ball game

chapter 12|11 pages

Navigating health knowledge

Postcolonialism and ethnic minority girls’ experiences of health education in school contexts

chapter 14|10 pages

‘Deleuze for goodness sake’

Examining health inequities via assemblage theorising

chapter 19|12 pages

Engaging with normativity in health education research

Inspiration from Continental Critical Theory

chapter 20|12 pages

Destroying the family and civilization

Marxism, safe schools and sexuality education

chapter 21|11 pages

Beyond carrot sticks and sermons

The practice of education in obesity interventions