Persistence, Assistance, Resistance: on Black fibroid patients’ experiences of illness, patienthood and (self-)care
Uterine fibroids are benign tumours that form in or around the uterus. Though highly prevalent among menstruating people, medical professionals do not know exactly what causes fibroids, nor do they know why, according to health data, fibroids more frequently occur in Black patients than in their white counterparts. Though this phenomenon remains unsolved, it is also underserved and under-researched. With the racial disparity being the motivation of my research, this thesis is underscored by the contention that ‘race’ is a social construct; however, by considering the embodiment of racial experience, constructed meanings of ‘race’ are rendered as having tangible and material consequences for the person and their racialised body. In considering the materiality of ‘race’, therefore, I attend to Black fibroid patients’ real, lived experiences of racial discrimination and inequality. As such, I argue that ‘race’ cannot be deemed a fibroid risk factor, but that racism can(Aina et al 2020). I also understand the meanings of ‘race’ to intersect with other identity categories, namely gender. With this in mind, I take a Black feminist approach to ethnography, which ‘has always meant putting Black women’s voices front and centre’ (Davis 2019:23). I investigate Black fibroid patients in the UK’s experiences of illness, their interactions with the healthcare system (mainly the NHS), how these two experiences relate to one another, and finally, how these influence their (self-)care practices. To grapple with both the micro, everyday, lived experiences of Black fibroid patients as well as the macro, social, and structural forces that have constructed these experiences, I deploy a phenomenological lens diffracted by a prism of intersectionality. I have, therefore, used two qualitative methods in my study – in-depth interviews and photovoice. Both have been used with the aim of empowering my participants to share the most meaningful aspects of their fibroid experiences and how their ‘race’ has played a part in shaping them. To conclude, I make recommendations, informed by my participants and an anti-racist approach, for policy and practice.
Persistence, Assistance, Resistance: on Black fibroid patients’ experiences of illness, patienthood and (self-)care
Uterine fibroids are benign tumours that form in or around the uterus. Though highly prevalent among menstruating people, medical professionals do not know exactly what causes fibroids, nor do they know why, according to health data, fibroids more frequently occur in Black patients than in their white counterparts. Though this phenomenon remains unsolved, it is also underserved and under-researched. With the racial disparity being the motivation of my research, this thesis is underscored by the contention that ‘race’ is a social construct; however, by considering the embodiment of racial experience, constructed meanings of ‘race’ are rendered as having tangible and material consequences for the person and their racialised body. In considering the materiality of ‘race’, therefore, I attend to Black fibroid patients’ real, lived experiences of racial discrimination and inequality. As such, I argue that ‘race’ cannot be deemed a fibroid risk factor, but that racism can(Aina et al 2020). I also understand the meanings of ‘race’ to intersect with other identity categories, namely gender. With this in mind, I take a Black feminist approach to ethnography, which ‘has always meant putting Black women’s voices front and centre’ (Davis 2019:23). I investigate Black fibroid patients in the UK’s experiences of illness, their interactions with the healthcare system (mainly the NHS), how these two experiences relate to one another, and finally, how these influence their (self-)care practices. To grapple with both the micro, everyday, lived experiences of Black fibroid patients as well as the macro, social, and structural forces that have constructed these experiences, I deploy a phenomenological lens diffracted by a prism of intersectionality. I have, therefore, used two qualitative methods in my study – in-depth interviews and photovoice. Both have been used with the aim of empowering my participants to share the most meaningful aspects of their fibroid experiences and how their ‘race’ has played a part in shaping them. To conclude, I make recommendations, informed by my participants and an anti-racist approach, for policy and practice.
