Thinking Allowed - Drugs for Life; Subcultural Identity

Drugs for Life; Subcultural Identity

Download Drugs for Life; Subcultural Identity

Drugs for life - Laurie Taylor talks to the US anthropologist, Joseph Dumit, about his research into the burgeoning consumption of medicine in the US. Dumit did ethnographic research with drug company executives, marketers, researchers, doctors and patients, and assessed the industry's strategies for expanding their markets. He asks if the huge growth in medication ties us to a radically new conception of ourselves as intrinsically ill and need of treatment. Is this a uniquely American development or does it equally apply to the UK and beyond? He's joined by the British sociologist, John Abraham.

Also, hanging on to a subcultural identity in later life - we hear from listeners who still carry a torch for their youthful selves, be it as teds, mods, punks or goths....Professor Angela McRobbie analyses the phenomenon.

Producer: Chris Wilson.


Published on Wednesday, 6th March 2013.

Available Podcasts from Thinking Allowed

Subscribe to Thinking Allowed

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Thinking Allowed webpage.