Overview of the Study

Abstract

Based on extensive primary resources, this ethnography constructs the nursing profession as a sociological object of study and elucidates the underlying structures, ideologies and devices used in the making of contemporary nursing. Nursing as a profession has long been researched from the standpoint of nurses. However, the prime mover of this research is the critique to the professions introduced in the 1980s sociological literature, as professions relate to one another in a systemic or ecological relation, competing for territory (jurisdiction), clientele, status and rewards. This perspective enabled an exploration of this profession in interaction with neighbouring occupations, drawing attention to the dynamics permeating the structuring of the healthcare system and the internal functioning of nursing. Beneath this ethnography lies a purpose that is ultimately political.