Pathologies of Power - (California Public Anthropology) by Paul Farmer (Paperback)

Pathologies of Power by Paul Farmer is a groundbreaking book that challenges conventional thinking within human rights circles and exposes the relationships between political and economic injustice, on one hand, and the suffering and illness of the powerless, on the other.

This book links the lived experiences of individual victims to a broader analysis of structural violence, providing a well-written medical anthropology that will challenge how you think about medical care.

Farmer presents compelling evidence of how 'the most basic right -- the right to survive -- is trampled in an age of great affluence.' He challenges us to do better and provides hope in the form of a simple moral compass, so that amidst the novel challenges and frustrations of health provision and analysis, one can begin to discern for herself a clear course of action.

This book is a passionate plea for a working definition of human rights that would not neglect the most basic rights of all: food, shelter, and health.

It is a well-written medical anthropology that will challenge how you think about medical care.