In nations with histories of declining smoking prevalence and comprehensive tobacco control policies, what were once smoking-positive cultures are now severely eroded. Smoking, smokers and the tobacco industry are today routinely constructed in everyday discourse and media representations in a variety of overwhelmingly negative ways. Erving Goffman’s notion of “spoiled identity” might be adapted to describe this radical transformation. Efforts to describe nations’ progress toward comprehensive tobacco control have hitherto taken little account of the role of cultural change to the meaning of smoking and the many ways in which it has become denormalised. This presentation reviews facets of the spoiled identity of smoking, smokers and the tobacco industry, illustrating the case of Australia; recommends that schema rating national tobacco control incorporate measures of this denormalisation; and considers some collateral consequences of denormalisation that may pose problems for tobacco control.

Department:  Stanford Prevention Research Center

Contact: Susan Ayres | 723-6145 | susan.ayres@stanford.edu

Presenter(s):

• Simon Chapman Professor and Director of Research; Fellow, University Sentate, School of Public Health, University of Sydney