{"product_id":"the-drug-company-next-door-pollution-jobs-and-community-health-in-puerto-rico-9780814724736","title":"The Drug Company Next Door: Pollution, Jobs, and Community Health in Puerto Rico","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"This fascinating and most timely critical\u003cbr\u003emedical anthropology study successfully binds two still emergent areas of\u003cbr\u003econtemporary anthropological research in the global world: the nature and\u003cbr\u003esignificant impact of multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers on human\u003cbr\u003esocial life everywhere, and the contribution of corporations to the fast-paced\u003cbr\u003edegradation of our life support system, planet Earth. . . . Focusing on a\u003cbr\u003epharmaceutically-impacted town on the colonized island of Puerto Rico, Dietrich\u003cbr\u003eably demonstrates the value of ethnography carried out in small places in\u003cbr\u003eframing the large issues facing humanity.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e--Merrill Singer, University of Connecticut \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe production of pharmaceuticals is among the\u003cbr\u003emost profitable industries on the planet. Drug companies produce chemical\u003cbr\u003esubstances that can save, extend, or substantially improve the quality of human\u003cbr\u003elife.However, even as the companies\u003cbr\u003epresent themselves publicly as health and environmental stewards, their\u003cbr\u003efactories are a significant source of air and water pollution--toxic to people\u003cbr\u003eand the environment. In Puerto Rico, the pharmaceutical industry is the\u003cbr\u003ebackbone of the island's economy: in one small town alone, there are over a\u003cbr\u003edozen drug factories representing five multinationals, the highest\u003cbr\u003econcentration per capita of such factories in the world. It is a place where\u003cbr\u003ethe enforcement of environmental regulations and the public trust they ensure\u003cbr\u003eare often violated in the name of economic development. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Drug Company Next Door unites the concerns of\u003cbr\u003ecritical medical anthropology with those of political ecology, investigating\u003cbr\u003ethe multi-faceted role of pharmaceutical corporations as polluters, economic\u003cbr\u003eproviders, and social actors. Rather\u003cbr\u003ethan simply demonizing the drug companies, the volume explores the dynamics\u003cbr\u003einvolved in their interactions with the local community and discusses the\u003cbr\u003estrategies used by both individuals and community groups to deal with the consequences\u003cbr\u003eof pollution. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Drug Company Next Door puts a human face on a\u003cbr\u003egrowing set of problems for communities around the world. Accessible and engaging, the book encourages\u003cbr\u003ereaders to think critically about the role of corporations in everyday life, \u003cbr\u003ehealth, and culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDietrich, Alexa S.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eAlexa S. Dietrich\u003c\/b\u003e is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Wagner College.","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50917904351506,"sku":"9780814724736","price":40.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_588efbde-0941-4109-b918-c006a9d1ba4c.jpg?v=1738871969","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-drug-company-next-door-pollution-jobs-and-community-health-in-puerto-rico-9780814724736","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}