Living Together in the Modern World

Pluralism generally seems to be a good thing: we like having a variety of options, possibilities, and perspectives. But some forms of pluralism – of religion, identity, ethnicity, politics, etc. – often fuel disagreement and controversy. One way to avoid or minimize such conflicts, it is sometimes said, is to recognize that moral discourse is relative and dependent on our specific backgrounds. But is this a good strategy for preserving both pluralism and a sense of meaningfully shared social reality?

Endometriosis affects roughly one in ten women, yet diagnosis can take up to a decade — so what are we missing? This talk takes a Health Humanities perspective on one of medicine’s most overlooked conditions, exploring how narrative, literature, and feminist scholarship can shed light on what clinical approaches alone often miss. Drawing on debates around gendered healthcare injustice, it looks at how cultural ideas of menstruation and menopause influence life with chronic illness — and why the humanities matter in shaping the standards of care.