‘I WAS WORSE OR SOMEHOW DIFFERENT?’: ETHNOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF THE TABOO AND STIGMA OF CANCER IN POLAND

Authors

• Hubert Wierciński University of Warsaw

Keywords:

cancer, stigma, taboo, stories, ethnography, Poland

Abstract

In the article I explore the taboo and stigma attached to cancer in Poland. I argue that they are linked and play a major role in experiencing the disease in the country, despite numerous social and medical campaigns. Taboo and stigma in Poland, perceived through the lens of cancer, relate to exclusion (and self-exclusion), social pressure, fear, displacement, and shame, and push ill people to numerous elaborate practices aiming to hide the disease and its signifiers. I analyze the informants’ narratives, in which I have found a body of information on how cancer is experienced by individuals, who complained about stigmatization, and concealed it in families. The key role in constructing these narratives is played by local metaphors, cultural motifs, and the culturally constructed sick-role, which distinguishes the collected material from other studies on cancer.