Contemporary Medical Sociology: Where Is it Coming from and Where Is it Going

Prikazan je opći profil suvremene (zapadne) medicinske sociologije, koji je izveden iz međunarodnih istraživanja: (1) detaljne sociohistorijske analize i vrednovanja razvoja te discipline u USA i Evropi; (2) istraživanja teorijskog porijekla (tj. medicinskih i društvenoznanstvenih korijena) medicinske sociologije; (3) istraživanja »granica« između medicinske sociologije i drugih javnozdravstvenih disciplina kao što su socijalna epidemiologija, medicinska antropologija i socijalna medicina. Osim opisa općih karakteristika, porijekla i razvoja medicinske sociologije, objašnjene su i neke njene posebne značajke: glavni autori/sociolozi, temeljni koncepti, predmet, te neki elementi institucionalizacije i profesionalizacije i slično. Zadnji dio teksta posvećen je kratkom pregledu jugoslavenske medicinske sociologije. Autori tvrde da je medicinska sociologija u nas još uvijek u dojenaćkom stadiju te da je stoga pretežno deskriptivna i receptivna a ne kreativna i produktivna.The general profile of contemporary (western) medical sociology is derived from a crossnational study on: (1) in-depth sociohistorical analyses and evaluations of the development of the discipline in the USA and Europe; (2) a survey of the theoretical background (that is, of the root of medical and social sciences of medical sociology); and (3) exploration of the »boundaries« between medical sociology and other public health subdisciplines such as social epidemiology, medical anthropology and social medicine. Besides illustrating the common features, the origin and development of medical sociology, a number of distinctive characteristics of the discipline are highlighted: the main authors/sociologists, the basic concepts, the subject-matters, some elements of institutionalistion, the process of professionalisation and the like. The last chapter of the paper is devoted to a brief review of Yugoslav medical sociology. The authors argue that the discipline in this country is still in its infancy, and therefore it is not predominantly creative and productive but descriptive and receptive

The Conflict About Abortion: Impossibility of Dialogue Between the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Movements

Reprodukcija je središte nekih od najvećih konceptualnih, moralnih, pravnih i političkih dvojbi u suvremenim društvima. Ona je također uporište djelovanja dvaju snažnih i suprotstavljenih društvenih pokreta: Za izbor i Za život. Koristeći sociologijsku teoriju o društvenim pokretima, kao opći sklop, i teoriju o mobilizaciji resursa, kao specifični pristup, autoricu analizira strategije, politiku i djelatnosti tih pokreta u SAD-u i Hrvatskoj. Analiza uključuje ove elemente: (a) strategije/aktivnosti u stvaranju imidža i u odnosima s javnošću, (b) zakonodavnu politiku i djelatnost, (c) mobilizaciju članova i simpatizera/sljedbenika, (d) praktične akcije i aktivnosti pokreta Za izbor i Za život usmjerene postignuću međusobno suprotstavljenih ciljeva. Autorica uspoređuje američke društvene pokrete sa zamecima takovih hrvatskih pokreta.Reproduction is the locus of some of the most pressing conceptual, moral, legal and political quandaries in contemporary societies. It is also the locus of the two powerful and conflicting social movements: pro-choice and pro-life. Using the sociological theories of social movements as a general framework, and a theory of resource mobilization as a specific approach, the author analyzes strategies, policies and activities of the movements in the USA and Croatia. The analysis includes the following elements: (a) image-making and public-relation strategies/activities of the movements, (b) law-making policies and activities, (c) mobilization of the members and supporters for the movements, (d) practical actions and activities of pro-choice v.v. pro-life movements to achieve their conflicting goals and objectives. The author compares the American social movements and the seeds of the Croatian ones

Feminist Movement – The Organisations, the Forms and the Contents of Struggle

Suvremeni feministički pokret analizira se s obzirom na različite tipove konceptualizacije, organizacija, oblika i sadržaja borbe. Naglasak je stavljen na tri glavne feminističke struje — radikalni feminizam, reformistički feminizam i marksistički (socijalistički) feminizam i to kroz kontinuitete i promjene koje su se zbile tokom tri faze pokreta. U prvoj fazi pokreta društveno konstruirane razlike među spolovima prosuđene su kao temeljni izvor opresije žena. Feministička teorija koncentrirala se na utemeljenje razlike između spola i roda i razvija se specifična analiza spolnih razlika kao načina socijalne kontrole. U drugoj fazi pokreta dolazi do odbacivanja androginije i do prihvaćanja perspektive kojoj je u središtu žena. Žene su poticane da prevladavaju nedostatke svog ženskog kondicioniranja i da nastoje osvojiti područja javnog života u koja ranije nisu imale pristupa. Sredinom 1970. ocijenjeno je da spolne razlike zapravo sadrže u sebi sjeme ženine slobode, i umjesto da se insistira na minimiziranju polarizacije maskuliniteta i feminiteta, nastojalo se izolirati i definirati one aspekte ženskog iskustva koji su bili mogući izvor snage i moći žena. Naglašavajući takvu perspektivu, počinje se razvijati potencijalno reakcionarni koncept koji pretpostavlja intrinzičnu moralnu superiornost žene. Autorica ukazuje na potrebu određivanja nekih novih pravaca u feminističkoj misli i političkoj borbi kako bi se adekvatnije suočilo s obnovljenim antifeminizmom i utjecajem desnice u cijelom zapadnom svijetu.The contemporary feminist movement is analysed considering types of conceptualizations, the organisations, the forms and the contents of struggle. The focus is chiefly on the main feminist positions: the radical feminist, the reformist feminist and the Marxist feminist and the continuities and changes during different phases of the movement are emphasized. In the first phase the socially constructed differences between the sexes were judged to be the chief source of female oppression. Feminist theory concentrated on establishing the distinction between sex and gender, and developed an analysis of sex roles as a mode of social control. The second phase was characterized by the rejection of androgyny and the adoption of a woman-centered perspective. Women were encouraged to overcome the defects of their feminine conditioning, and to seek to enter areas of public life previously closed to them. Beginning in the mid-1970s these differences were judged to contain the seeds of women liberation. Instead of seeking to minimize the polarization between masculine and feminine, it sought to isolate and to define those aspects of female experience that were potential sources of strength and power for women. By shifting a focus to a woman-centered perspective, a potentially reactionary concept has begun to emerge, that of the intrinsic moral superiority of women. The author points to the need of some possible new directions for feminist theory and political struggle in the late 1980s in the face of renewed anti-feminism and right- -wing resurgence throughout the Western world

Theory of Health Justice and Public-Health Ethics

Autorica se bavi traženjem odgovora na pitanje može li neki zdravstveni sustav koji je usmjeren prema ostvarenju načela pravednosti u zdravlju, pristupu i korištenju zdravstvene zaštite, biti istodobno etičan i efikasan. Naime, u svijesti mnogih javnozdravstvenih teoretičara, političara i praktičara, posebice onih iz tranzicijskih zemalja, koje napuštaju ideologiju i praksu “komunističkog modela” zdravstva i pokušavaju razvijati hipotetski “europski model”, javlja se uvjerenje kako su načela zdravstvene pravednosti i etičnosti na jednoj strani i ekonomske efikasnosti (smanjenja troškova, ekonomičnosti, rentabilnosti i ograničavanja zdravstvene potrošnje) na drugoj strani, naprosto – nepomirljiva. Na temelju analize sadržaja niza dokumenata Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije i analize stavova vodećih javnozdravstvenih autoriteta današnjice, autorica dokazuje kako napuštanje “komunističkog modela” zdravstva ne smije nikako dovesti do zanemarivanja načela pravednosti i etičnosti u javnom zdravstvu i zdravstvenoj politici. Autorica smatra da je čvrsto uporište za novu teoriju zdravstvene pravde moguće tražiti u teorijskim raspravama Johna Rawlsa, Amartya Sena i Margaret Whitehead. Upravo zbog toga, zemlje koje danas mijenjaju i “europeiziraju” zdravstvene sustave (primjerice Hrvatska) trebaju uložiti maksimalni napor kako bi u projektiranju tih sustava podjednaku pažnju posvetili efikasnosti i pravednosti.The author attempts to answer the following question: can a health system, geared towards the fulfillment of the principle of equity in health, in the access to health care, and in utilization of health care services be at the same time both ethical and efficient. Some public health scientists, politicians and practitioners claim that health equity and ethics on the on hand and efficiency (cost containment, cost-effectiveness and profitability) on the other hand are simply irreconcilable principles. This belief is especially widespread among politicians from the countries in transition which are leaving the ideology and practice of a Communist health care system and trying to develop a hypothetical European model of health care. Based on the analysis of a number of the WHO documents and the arguments of leading public health experts, the author stresses that the abandonment of a Communist health care system should under no conditions lead to ignoring of the principles of equity and ethics in public health and health care policies. The author furthermore believes that the works of John Rawls, Amarty Sen and Margaret Whitehead represent a foundation for the new theory of health care justice. The countries trying to modify and “europeanise” their health care systems (like Croatia) have to devote equal attention in devising these new systems to the principles of equity and efficiency

Feminist Movement – The Organisations, the Forms and the Contents of Struggle

Suvremeni feministički pokret analizira se s obzirom na različite tipove konceptualizacije, organizacija, oblika i sadržaja borbe. Naglasak je stavljen na tri glavne feminističke struje — radikalni feminizam, reformistički feminizam i marksistički (socijalistički) feminizam i to kroz kontinuitete i promjene koje su se zbile tokom tri faze pokreta. U prvoj fazi pokreta društveno konstruirane razlike među spolovima prosuđene su kao temeljni izvor opresije žena. Feministička teorija koncentrirala se na utemeljenje razlike između spola i roda i razvija se specifična analiza spolnih razlika kao načina socijalne kontrole. U drugoj fazi pokreta dolazi do odbacivanja androginije i do prihvaćanja perspektive kojoj je u središtu žena. Žene su poticane da prevladavaju nedostatke svog ženskog kondicioniranja i da nastoje osvojiti područja javnog života u koja ranije nisu imale pristupa. Sredinom 1970. ocijenjeno je da spolne razlike zapravo sadrže u sebi sjeme ženine slobode, i umjesto da se insistira na minimiziranju polarizacije maskuliniteta i feminiteta, nastojalo se izolirati i definirati one aspekte ženskog iskustva koji su bili mogući izvor snage i moći žena. Naglašavajući takvu perspektivu, počinje se razvijati potencijalno reakcionarni koncept koji pretpostavlja intrinzičnu moralnu superiornost žene. Autorica ukazuje na potrebu određivanja nekih novih pravaca u feminističkoj misli i političkoj borbi kako bi se adekvatnije suočilo s obnovljenim antifeminizmom i utjecajem desnice u cijelom zapadnom svijetu.The contemporary feminist movement is analysed considering types of conceptualizations, the organisations, the forms and the contents of struggle. The focus is chiefly on the main feminist positions: the radical feminist, the reformist feminist and the Marxist feminist and the continuities and changes during different phases of the movement are emphasized. In the first phase the socially constructed differences between the sexes were judged to be the chief source of female oppression. Feminist theory concentrated on establishing the distinction between sex and gender, and developed an analysis of sex roles as a mode of social control. The second phase was characterized by the rejection of androgyny and the adoption of a woman-centered perspective. Women were encouraged to overcome the defects of their feminine conditioning, and to seek to enter areas of public life previously closed to them. Beginning in the mid-1970s these differences were judged to contain the seeds of women liberation. Instead of seeking to minimize the polarization between masculine and feminine, it sought to isolate and to define those aspects of female experience that were potential sources of strength and power for women. By shifting a focus to a woman-centered perspective, a potentially reactionary concept has begun to emerge, that of the intrinsic moral superiority of women. The author points to the need of some possible new directions for feminist theory and political struggle in the late 1980s in the face of renewed anti-feminism and right- -wing resurgence throughout the Western world

A Pyramid of Professional and Business Responsibility in Croatian Dental Medicine

Hrvatski stomatolozi, posebice vlasnici/nositelji privatne prakse, zakupci prostora i opreme za obavljanje privatne prakse, pa i zaposleni u privatnoj praksi - kao i njihovi kolege u europskim i ostalim razvijenim zemljama - svaki se dan suočavaju s nizom etičkih i moralnih dvojbi koje se redovito pretvaraju u višestruki sukob interesa: a) trebaju striktno slijediti i poštovati sve zakonske, etičke i druge profesionalne norme (kao i one običajima nametnute); b) moraju biti poslovno uspješni i profitabilni; c) trebaju imati društveno poželjnu i poslovno moguću razinu društvene i ekološke odgovornosti. U članku se dokazuje teza kako bogata tradicija teorijskih i empirijskih istraživanja fenomenologije korporativne društvene odgovornosti (KDO-a), korporativne odgovornosti (KO-a), korporativne društvene i ekološke odgovornosti (KDEO-a), civilnih korporacija (CK-a), korporativnog građanstva (KG-a) i etične korporacije (EK-a) može poslužiti kao izvrsno konceptualno i teorijsko polazište za traženje odgovora na pitanje kako je moguće postići poželjnu ravnotežu između poslovne (poduzetničke), profesionalne (kliničke) i društvene (i ekološke) odgovornosti u stomatološkom obrazovanju te privatnoj i javnoj praksi dentalne medicine. Na temelju komparativne analize različitih općih teorija o korporativnoj društvenoj odgovornosti (KDO-u) koje su u posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća osmišljene i primijenjene u poslovnoj praksi i etici suvremenih tvrtki, izabrali smo onu koju smatramo najprikladnijom za primjenu u dentalnoj medicini i stomatološkoj profesiji. Radi se o piramidi društvene odgovornosti, teoriji koju je Archie B. Carroll objavio 1991. Uzimajući tu teoriju kao okvirno konceptualno polazište i primjenjujući znanja sociologije stomatološke profesije, u članku predlažemo specifičnu piramidu društvene odgovornosti za praktičare dentalne medicine u privatnom i javnom sektoru. Za razliku od opće piramide KDO-a koja polazi od teze da je ekonomska (poslovna) odgovornost uvjet i pretpostavka ostalih oblika pravne, etičke i dobrotvorne odgovornosti, brani se teza kako je u dentalnoj medicini etička odgovornost uvjet i pretpostavka svih ostalih oblika odgovornosti, a iza nje slijede: pravna, ekonomska i dobrotvorna odgovornost.Just as their colleagues in European and other developed countries, Croatian dentists, especially owners/carriers of private dental medicine practice, those leasing premises and equipment for private practice, as well as employees in private practice, encounter on a daily basis a series of ethical and moral dilemmas that regularly turn into multiple conflicts of interests: a) they must strictly follow and respect the legal, ethical and other professional norms (as well as those imposed by customs), b) they must run a successful business and be profitable, c) they must demonstrate a socially desirable and business feasible level of social and environmental responsibility. The article attempts to prove the thesis that a rich tradition of theoretical and empirical research into phenomenology of corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate responsibility (CR), corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER), civil corporation (CC), corporate citizenship (CC) and ethical corporations (EC) serve as an excellent conceptual and theoretical starting point when seeking an answer to the question how is it possible to achieve the desirable balance between business, professional (clinical) and social (and environmental) responsibility in dental education and in private and public practice of dental medicine. Based on comparative analysis of different general theories about corporate social responsibility (CSR) that have been envisaged and implemented in business practice and business ethics of modern companies in the past few decades, we chose a theory that we consider the most suitable for the use in dental medicine and in dental profession. We chose the pyramid of social responsibility, a theory published by Archie B. Carroll in 1991. Using this theory as a general conceptual starting point and applying the knowledge of sociology of dental profession, we propose in the article a specific pyramid of social responsibility for practitioners of dental medicine in private and public sector. Unlike the general CSR pyramid, which starts from the thesis that economic (business) responsibility is a precondition and necessary for other forms of legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibility, this article defends the thesis that in dentistry ethical responsibility is necessary and a precondition for all other forms of responsibility that follow: legal, economic and philanthropic responsibility