Dualities of dementia illness narratives and their role in a narrative economy

Hillman, Alexandra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1859-1075, Jones, Ian Rees ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1682-9134, Quinn, Catherine, Nelis, Sharon M. and Clare, Linda 2018. Dualities of dementia illness narratives and their role in a narrative economy. Sociology of Health and Illness 40 (5) , pp. 874-891. 10.1111/1467-9566.12729

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Abstract

The concept of ‘narrative economies’ has recently been proposed as a set of exchange relationships that, through biography and story-telling, facilitate access to resources and act as a source of value. We utilise this concept to inform our analysis of 18 qualitative interviews with 5 people with dementia and 4 informal carers. Our participants are members of a pre-existing group of dementia advocates, representing the voices of those living with the condition. There are a growing number of people in the early stages of dementia - like our participants - being called upon to account for their experience, as a means of developing a politicised ‘collective illness identity’. These interviews present an opportunity to study a group of people who are actively involved in speaking as, and for, people with dementia. Four themes emerged from the data: becoming a voice of or for people with dementia; biographical reinforcement; responsibilisation; and resistance. These themes illustrate the ways in which people with dementia participate in their own identity construction and, as representatives of those living with dementia, they also illustrate the ways in which illness narratives produce material and symbolic value.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0141-9889
Funders:	ESRC/NIHR
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 February 2018
Date of Acceptance:	25 January 2018
Last Modified:	07 May 2023 08:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/108671

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