What is medical anthropology?
Posted by Lance Gravlee on August 30th, 2007 |
In our first meeting on Tuesday, I defined medical anthropology as the study of health and healing in cross-cultural and evolutionary perspective. How do others define the field?
On its website, the Society of Medical Anthropology offers an extended definition and identifies some topics that medical anthropologists work on. Here’s an excerpt:
Medical Anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that draws upon social, cultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology to better understand those factors which influence health and well being (broadly defined), the experience and distribution of illness, the prevention and treatment of sickness, healing processes, the social relations of therapy management, and the cultural importance and utilization of pluralistic medical systems.
Read the full description on the SMA web page. How does it differ from the expectations about medical anthropology you had before enrolling in the class? What strikes you as different or similar about the way SMA defines the field and the way I presented it in class on Tuesday? Which of the topics listed on the SMA website excite you most? Any leads for your research paper?
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6 Responses
Before I enrolled in this class, my expectation of medical anthropology was much narrower than the definitions discussed in class and on this website. I thought the main research area would be culture and the differences and similarities between their use and definitions of medicine. I think SMA’s definition of medical anthropology is very similar to the one you presented in class, but I think it is a little more specific.The areas that interest me include: perceptions of risk, vulnerability and responsibility for illness and health care, risk and protective dimensions of human behavior, cultural norms and social institutions, preventative health and harm reduction practices and the experience of illness and the social relations of sickness.
Before taking this class I was introduced to the basic definition of medical anthropology. The only expectations that I had for the class was to learn how different cultures react to medical issues such as AIDS in Africa as opposed to AIDS in Europe or the United States. “The commercialization and commodification of health and medicine” has piqued my interest and could lead to a research paper about the disparities between developed and third world countries’ approach to health issues such as AIDS. I am very interested in how different cultures view and approach AIDS.
Prior to taking this class, I was already familiar with the definition of medical anthropology as well as the SMA website. Due to my interest in human reproduction, authoritative knowledge, and the modernization and globalization of health care, however, I am less familiar with evolutionary and ecological frameworks. My expectations for the class include broadening my knowledge of the scope of medical anthropology and acquiring a working knowledge of the theoretical approaches of the discipline.
Based on my experince as a provider, I believe that a “marriage” of anthropology and healthcare is long overdue. Biomedical hegemony has spread throughout the world, and many negative aspects of Westernized medicine are being imported along with the positive aspects. Anthropologists have been the primary voices questioning and challenging this trend. My goal is to continue to build upon this scholarship, adding my contribution from the perspective of my experience as both a nurse and a midwife.
My dissertation is focused on medical decision-making and the process of informed consent surrounding the decision to attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean or to plan a repeat cesarean section. The social construction of knowledge and the authority and politics of science are some of the issues I am addressing. Since I am also working on an article on perceptions of risk in pregnancy for Haitian women, however, I may use this topic for my research paper.
Before enrolling in this course I had no prior knowledge of what defines medical anthropology. I wanted to find a course suitable to helping me understand the cultural influence on medicine. Based on the class discussion it was clear that medical anthropologists focus on a vast array of topics other than culture and medicine. The SMA defines this field in a more specified version from what was presented in class. In class we focused on the unequivocal context on what defines medical anthropology.
From the topics listed on the SMA website I was intrigued by the following topics: Popular health culture and domestic health care practices, perceptions of risk, vulnerability and responsibility for illness and health care, preventative health and harm reductions of sickness, the range of factors driving health, nutrition and heath care transitions, the cultural and historical conditions shaping medical practices and policies, and the use and interpretation of pharmaceuticals and forms of biotechnology. By the end of this course I hope to gain pertinent knowledge with understanding health ramifications of ecological adaptation and mal adaptation, ethno-medicine pluralistic healing modalities and healing processes and the commercialization and commodification of health and medicine and disease distribution and health disparities.
My area of interest is on the maternal/pediatric health industries in the Middle Eastern/Carribean countries and in the western society. However, in regards to the research paper I would like to focus on reproduction and the lack of maternal supplies in Haiti vs. the supplies provided in the U.S. (quite general at the moment). In addition, I may choose to focus on “Haitian women narratives”…weight, body image, and challenges of staying healthy in American Society.
My previous perception of Medical Anthropology was mostly cultural, however, reading this website and attending this course, it is really a mind blowing experience, how much the discipline is interdisciplinary and broad. Your lecture coupled with the definition forwarded in the SMA website makes me to think differently. Moreover, this week’s reading, the debate on the causes of health and disease, makes more sense considering the discipline’s broad perspective as outlined in the website and your lecture. I have the feeling that like another field of Anthropological study Medical anthropology has achieved the four field approach that many people think Anthropology should be
Before I enrolled in this particular anthropology class, I was already familiar with the SMA definition of Medical anthropology. The difference between the class definition and the one presented here is very minimal. The SMA definition is a lot more specific.
From the topics presented on the SMA website, I am very excited to learn about, 1)Perceptions of risk, vulnerability and responsibility for illness and health care, 2) Preventative health and harm reduction practices, 3) The experience of illness and the social relations of sickness, 4)The commercialization and commodification of health and medicine, 5)Disease distribution and health disparity and 6)Differential use and availability of government and private health care resources. My future career goal is to become an osteopathic doctor and eventually work my way into public health. So these topics will not enhance my knowledge on the fields I am interested in working but will also give me a head start.
I really haven’t thought about what my research topic should be. I have been toying with different ideas, some of which include Indian ayurvedic medicine, possessions as well writing something pertaining to the difference between the regular M.D. program and the D.O program.
I hope that this class will broaden my horizon on medicine and anthropology.