Skin as a Communicative Boundary: Semiotic Dialogue in Danish Healthcare System

The skin as a semiotic communicative tool is to be seen as a socio-somatic-semiotic, layered and dynamic membrane that holds the notions of a semi-permeable, communicative boundary. In this theoretical understanding of an embodied aspect of not only meaning-making but also the regulative aspect of embodied interaction with others, the very idea of borders of individuality becomes the notion of interpretation – especially in the asymmetrical dialogue between healthcare workers and patients.
In the settings of courses in communication for doctors and nurses at oncological wards at Aalborg University Hospital, a wounded police officer, classical musicians and conductors; this thesis will aim to understand asymmetrical interactions as to create a new theoretical and practical approach to education of healthcare workers and eventually also the patients in Danish healthcare system and university students.