The contribution of the German sociologist and philosopher Jurgen Habermas has proved seminal for attempts to understand the nature of social change in the context of global capitalism. This book provides an accessible introduction to his work and shows how his theories can be fruitfully applied to a wide range of topics in the sociology of health and illness including: * lay health knowledge * doctor-patient interaction * health care decision-making * health inequalities * new social movements in health * health care rationing * the Foucault perspective. Habermas, Critical Theory and Health will open up both new issues and new lines of empirical enquiry which will be of special interest to teachers and students of social theory and the sociology of health and illness and offers healthcare professionals new perspectives on their practice.