Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Fernandez, E.
2016
January
Irish Journal of Sociology
No smoke without fire: public health and morality in the civilizing process’
Validated
()
Optional Fields
smoking ban; e-cigarettes; civilizing process; governmentality
This year marked the tenth year anniversary of the introduction of the smoking ban In Ireland, a policy initiative that has been heralded as one of the biggest ‘success stories’ in Irish public health policy, with anti-smoking advocates referring to it as ‘the health initiative of the century’. Studies conducted on the smoking ban since it was introduced have mostly been undertaken from a public health perspective and have pointed out the associated health benefits of the ban, especially in terms of the reduction of second-hand smoking. While the rationale for the smoking ban was founded on health and medical reasons, this paper contends that going beyond health concerns, a collective civilizing process which drew upon notions of progress, purity and order was central to the introduction and successful implementation of the smoking ban. The relevance of discourses around the ‘civilized self’ in tobacco control is also be discussed in the context of recent debates over the use and regulation of electronic cigarettes in public spaces.
Grant Details