Final published version, 310 KB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-SA: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Final published version
Licence: CC BY-SA: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Elementos para la despolitización del cáncer de mama
AU - Porroche-Escudero, Ana
PY - 2020/9/7
Y1 - 2020/9/7
N2 - Breast cancer has acquired unprecedented visibility in Spain. Although the origins of the breast cancer movement were concerned with the oppressivepatient role and the increasing incidence of the disease, the last three decadeshave been marked by a focus on diagnosis through screening and awarenesscampaigns. Some would say that we need to celebrate this progressivepolitization of breast cancer that has placed the disease on the national agenda.However, I argue that its political purpose is in crisis and has depolitised thedisease without raising any suspicions among the most critical sectors,including feminist circles. Building on my work on breast cancer from the past14 years, in this article I take a cue from Mari Luz Esteban’s (2017) critique ofthe ‘overinvisibilization’ of breast cancer to demonstrate how it has beendepoliticized. I will reinterrogate how breast cancer is spoken about, howwomen are represented, what topics make headlines and which ones aresilenced or remain taboo. In particular,I will illustrate how the‘overinvisibilization’ of breast cancer results in various forms of discourses andpractices. These include the hypervisibility of hegemonic and monothematicmessages that are compounded with sexism; and the invisibilization of thosedifferential experiences and discourses about the disease that questions thestatus quo of the industry of cancer.
AB - Breast cancer has acquired unprecedented visibility in Spain. Although the origins of the breast cancer movement were concerned with the oppressivepatient role and the increasing incidence of the disease, the last three decadeshave been marked by a focus on diagnosis through screening and awarenesscampaigns. Some would say that we need to celebrate this progressivepolitization of breast cancer that has placed the disease on the national agenda.However, I argue that its political purpose is in crisis and has depolitised thedisease without raising any suspicions among the most critical sectors,including feminist circles. Building on my work on breast cancer from the past14 years, in this article I take a cue from Mari Luz Esteban’s (2017) critique ofthe ‘overinvisibilization’ of breast cancer to demonstrate how it has beendepoliticized. I will reinterrogate how breast cancer is spoken about, howwomen are represented, what topics make headlines and which ones aresilenced or remain taboo. In particular,I will illustrate how the‘overinvisibilization’ of breast cancer results in various forms of discourses andpractices. These include the hypervisibility of hegemonic and monothematicmessages that are compounded with sexism; and the invisibilization of thosedifferential experiences and discourses about the disease that questions thestatus quo of the industry of cancer.
KW - breast cancer
KW - feminism
KW - Spain
KW - anthropology
KW - sociology
KW - empowerment
KW - critical health literacy
KW - medical education
KW - cancer education
KW - social determinants of health
U2 - 10.17979/arief.2019.4.1.5733
DO - 10.17979/arief.2019.4.1.5733
M3 - Journal article
VL - 4
SP - 151
EP - 178
JO - Atlánticas. Revista Internacional de Estudios Feministas
JF - Atlánticas. Revista Internacional de Estudios Feministas
SN - 2530-2736
IS - 1
ER -