Laura de la Parra Fernández (UCM) (Web) and David Yagüe González (MIT) (Web)
Proposals by: 15.01.2026
Healthcare and care provision have long been influenced by gendered dynamics. Whether in access to treatment, diagnosis, or the dominant narratives about body normativity, access to care remains unevenly distributed. The inclusion of women in health trials was not consistently considered until the NHS Revitalization Act of 1993; however, to this day, other structural factors, such as race, ethnicity, or class, remain underrepresented in clinical studies (Kwiatkowski et al., 2013). In patient-centered care, which emphasizes patients’ autonomy and overall well-being (Reynolds 2009), it is essential to consider both structural and individual factors. Similarly, care provision remains highly underpaid, undervalued, and gendered in a neoliberal society (Gerstel 467). The “crisis of care” articulated by Nancy Fraser (2016) illustrates this paradox: capitalism demands higher productivity and lower spending, while care work becomes invisible and conflicts with neoliberal time regimes. At the same time, the idea that care and nurturing are inherently tied to femininity continues to essentialize and devalue a fundamental aspect of society (Gerstel 468).
In turn, narrative has reflected, contested, and reimagined these dynamics, providing insight into how gender influences experiences of well-being, illness, and healing. As Louise Hide and Joanna Burke explain, care produces “subjective experiences in relation to notions of, for example, ‘vulnerability’, ‘trust’, ‘need’, ‘dependency’, and ‘interdependency’, ‘consent’ and ‘harm’” (684). Narrative offers a privileged perspective from which to examine such experiences of care, enabling us to explore their effects, recognize silenced voices, and foster change toward achieving a “care democracy” (Tronto 2013). Recent studies on the medical humanities highlight the diverse applications and potential of narrative in clinical settings. Following Ronald Schleifer and Jerry Vannatta, “training and practice in grasping the local and global meanings in a literary narrative is excellent practice for listening to and comprehending patients’ histories of present illness” (xxxiv).
This volume seeks to interrogate how illness narratives expose the entanglement of care with systemic harm, and how these texts imagine possibilities for healing and care otherwise. We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume that explores the intersections of gender, healthcare, and narrative across various contexts, periods, genres, and media, with an emphasis on its applications in medical training. We also seek contributions about Continue reading
Vortrag der Reihe „Geschichte am Mittwoch“ des Instituts für Geschichte der Univ. Wien 
Louise-Otto-Peters-Gesellschaft e.V.