This volume explores the historical development, philosophical foundations, and interdisciplinary tensions within the human sciences—fields like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and medicine. It examines how these disciplines have shaped and been shaped by broader cultural, political, and epistemological shifts. Lefève and ffrench bring together scholars who challenge disciplinary boundaries and invite readers to rethink the assumptions behind “scientific” understandings of the human. The book is especially relevant for those interested in narrative medicine, trauma studies, and the ethics of care.

The authors delve into narrative medicine as a transformative framework that reorients clinical practice around patient stories, lived experience, and interpretive listening. It examines how narrative competence—attentiveness to metaphor, temporality, and voice—can deepen empathy and ethical engagement in care. Contributors explore tensions between biomedical reductionism and narrative richness, highlighting how illness narratives resist objectification and reclaim agency. The text also considers the pedagogical role of literature and philosophy in training clinicians to recognize suffering not just as a symptom, but as a story. Through comparative perspectives, it underscores narrative medicine’s potential to reshape institutional cultures and foster relational healing.

 

 A deeply insightful read comparing the history of the medical humanities in France and the USA. Access here: