Ivan Illich, born in Vienna in 1926, was an Austrian philosopher and Roman Catholic priest best recognised for his works claiming that the benefits of the majority of modern technology and society are simply an illusion (Cooley, 2015). He argued that these were a way to undermine a human’s ability to care for themselves, along… Continue reading Ivan Illich’s ‘Medical Imperialism’

HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) is a ‘virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.’ (nhs.uk, 2019). Which can be transmitted through blood transfusions, sexual activity, breastfeeding, semen, syringes and injecting drugs and many more ways HIV get spreads. It is a fragile virus that… Continue reading HIV/AIDS

The aim of this blog post is to evaluate and critic Illich’s notion of “medical imperialism” using case-studies and independent research. The blog post will focus predominantly on male bodies, and how these bodies have been suggested as controlled by the medical world. Illich holds the opinion that the medical world is shaping for the… Continue reading Men’s Bodies

This article is trying to explain the connections between the idea of ‘Medical Imperialism’, as was pictured by Illich, and the bodies that are deemed deviant by society and are rejected. Firstly, the ideas of Illich around medicalisation are explored. Then, Mackinnon’s understanding of Mulvey’s theory on ‘Male Gaze’ is used to understand how the… Continue reading Deviant Bodies

Concluding the studies on this blog it is evident that medical imperialism is conventional in today’s society which means that Illich’s notion of medical imperialism is still existent. ‘medical imperialism’, alongside the medical system are trying to take control in all matters of life by increasing the public’s reliance to provide a better population health. Illich… Continue reading Conclusions