I am associate professor of sociology interested in the interaction between health, everyday life practices and micro and macro politics. In the most general sense, I research the political origins of subjectivity in relation to biomedical processes. Conceptually, I aim to further develop medicalization theory. Empirically, I focus on cases like bodily (over)activity, microbes, sadness, (over)weight, mobile phone technology or aircraft noise. I am also interested in the way our research in/excludes citizens and affects (health) practices. Methodologically I try to advance qualitative methods through systematizing collaborative interpretative and longitudinal approaches.
My career is a bit a-typical since I first studied ballet, worked outside academia between my MA (cum laude) and the beginning of my PhD study and worked part-time since my daughter was born in 2000 until 2012. I am still keen on dancing, currently mostly Latin dances.
I am leading a group of researchers called the SocioHealth team with whom I participate in the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research and in a number of interdisciplinary research projects: Sarphati Etnografie , MetaHealth, MicroHealth, Personal Microbiome Health, CO-CREATE , Urban Mental Health and TimingHealth. I am member of the Workers Council and Co-founder and shareholder of Panel software. My work is published in journals like Social Science and Medicine, Sociology of Health and Illness, Obesity Reviews or Mobilization.
In the past I have taught the following courses :
I am supervising PhD´s, research (master) en bachelor students with their thesis. My PhD-students:
2028 Supervisor Anne van Wieringen, Healthism and microbiome enriched food
2027 Supervisor Soely Mandrone, Participatory Action and Inclusion
2027 Supervisor Yosheng Liu, Ethnography of health practice
2021 Co-Supervisor of Minke Hajer, Citizenship and migrant illegality
2020 Co-Supervisor of Robert Davidson, The Dutch state and gay advocacy .
2020 Supervisor of Colette Santha, Childrens experience of ill-health in Ghana
2019 Supervisor Huong Nguyen Minh, Vietnamese Risk Policy.
2018 Co-Supervisor Melissa Sebrechts, recognition and activation policies for young adults.
2016 Supervisor Bert de Graaf, Politics and risk communication.
2016 Co-supervisor Judith Elshout, Sources of Self-respect in Meritocracy.
2013 External examiner of A. Yamamoto, discourse of urban planning, Univ. College London
2012 Co-supervisor, N. Thijsen, Imagining the Sixties.
Over the years I have supervise many MA and BA students and in several cases co-authored scientific articles with them. The full list would be too long so I present some examples here: