| dc.description.abstract | Type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) varies significantly in prevalence and morbidity among minority groups in the U.S. (“Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes” 2020). In particular, individuals considered to be of Hispanic origin are highlighted by institutions such as the CDC as being at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes (“Diabetes Risk Factors” n.d.). Health care providers play an important role in treating and preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes; however, a growing body of evidence in medical anthropology suggests that the “culture of biomedicine” contributes to the development of health disparities and the maintenance of racial bias and stigma in institutional settings (Kleinman and Benson 2006, Wailoo 2001). Utilizing qualitative evidence from semi-structured interviews with nurses, physicians, endocrinologists, and diabetes researchers, the following study characterizes the contemporary “clinical gaze” toward Hispanic type 2 diabetes patients and how this manifests in providers’ considerations of genetic predispositions, blame, and culture. Interviews with providers suggest a technoscientific quality of U.S. medicine that shapes providers to place significant value on scientific knowledge and language, while concomitantly differentiating themselves from their diverse and socially complex patients. | en_US |
