Abstract
This study explores the transformation of societal agency in the field of dialysis medicine by examining the case of patients' organizations actions in Taiwan in the last three decades. A new concept of 'deployment of intentionality' is devised from Michel Foucault and Actor-Network theory's insights to portray the changing regimen of dialysis practice and social intentionality toward patients. The analysis examines the changing dialysis regimen and patients' agency deployed by patients' organizations and other policy, professional, and social actors in different eras: 'emergence of collectivity: mobilization of the collective identity, and societal embodiment,' 'dualization of the field: de-legitimatization of rights and the contradictive collectivity,' and 'vertical integration: emergence and erosion of collective identity and routinitization.' Theoretically, this study elaborates the conceptual frameworks of regime of practice and deployment of intentionality to trace the transformation of societal agency. Empirically, the analysis shows a worrying future. The increasing amount of patients' organizations does not increase the possibility of changing the regime of vertical integration and the dialysis patients' agency is diminished.