Dr Nicole Braida (University of Turin): Knowledge, Epistemic (In)justice, and Diagnostic Inequalities in Endometriosis Care
Friday 17 April 2026 at 10:15-11:30 (Tampere University, Main building C113 lecture room C5)
Abstract: The talk presents empirical findings from a qualitative study on endometriosis conducted within the project “Giving Voice to Pain” in Italy, focusing on how epistemic injustice shapes diagnostic trajectories, clinical encounters, and access to care. Drawing on participant observation, semi-structured interviews with patients, activists, and healthcare professionals, autoethnography, and digital ethnography, the study analyses how different forms of knowledge about endometriosis are produced, negotiated, and contested. The findings show that diagnostic delay is closely linked to the normalisation of menstrual pain, medical gaslighting, and limited awareness of the condition among healthcare providers, which contribute to the systematic devaluation of patients’ testimonies. They also highlight that early diagnosis often requires a high level of cultural and social capital and digital literacy, shaping access to specialized care. At the same time, the emergence of patient expertise and activist practices constitutes a form of epistemic resistance that challenges dominant framings and supports more inclusive understandings of the condition as systemic and affecting diverse bodies.
Bio: Nicole Braida holds a PhD in Sociology and Methodology of Social Research and is currently a post-doc researcher at the Department of Cultures, Politics, and Society at the University of Turin. Their research focuses on the social construction of gender, sex, and sexuality, as well as the concept of health, approached from a transfeminist and anti-essentialist standpoint. Additionally, they are committed to transfeminist activism.