Metaphor and Representation in the Mediation of Illness

This chapter introduces the main approaches which have commonly been used to study representations of illness and makes the case for their equal applicability to anti-vaccination discourse. The chapter provides an overview of studies of metaphor in illness, in particular tracing the influence of the work of Susan Sontag on the one hand and that of Sergei Moscovici and his exponents on the other. The chapter contrasts these thematic and metaphorical approaches with the forms of analysis which derive from critical discourse analysis and offers a pathway towards integrating their concerns through consideration of modalities. The chapter analyses the ‘stories we tell’ about illness and vaccination and traces their similarities and points of divergence with conspiracy theories.