Mixed Ethnicity, Health and Healthcare Experiences

This book explores the health and healthcare experiences of the fastest-growing sector of Britain's population; people of mixed ethnicity, contextualised with reference to 'race' and ethnicity, immigration, demography and health status. Informed by a predominantly Foucauldian theoretical framework, the book utilises narrative data collection and an innovative analytical process, the construction of metanarratives, to access a stage of analysis beyond the more usual micro and macro levels. The research investigates the manner in which people of mixed ethnicity construct and define their identities, how ethnicity impacts both on health status and the nature of the healthcare experience, and the doctor/patient power relationship. Findings suggest that there is no significant link between ethnicity and health status, but that the healthcare experiences of people of mixed ethnicity are more negative than those of the white population. Additionally, evidence is presented that doctors suppress the discourse of health and mixed ethnicity.