medicinal anthropology essay

One of the subfields of anthropology that engages with critical theory is known as critical medicinal anthropology. This area of anthropology examines diverse political and economic aspects of health while integrating fundamental ethnographic methods with critical philosophy (Winkelman, 2008). Either way, it examines how disparities in health have an impact on people. The structures of social interactions are more heavily emphasized in the critical medicinal anthropology. When analyzing health or taking into account the determinants of different health disorders, it accomplishes this at the expense of pure biological causes. This paper discusses the concept of critical medicinal anthropology in various aspects that it deals in when addressing human health.

When analyzing illnesses, critical medicinal anthropology begins with the idea that human health is a political and biosocial ecological product (Pfeiffer & Nichter, 2008). This tendency makes the critical medicinal anthropology approach to neutralizing health processes when it comes to illnesses within the health sector and especially the social sciences. Critical medicinal anthropology, otherwise abbreviated as CMA, has developed deeper roots within critical theories when it comes to the determination of health on a social basis. A top-down perspective is avoided through CMA since new dimensions are added while at the same time recognizing that there exists an interaction between the social organizations on a mesolevel, macro-level, the agentive actions and the micro-levels of various individual experiences within the health sector.

The critical medicinal anthropology has differed with other approaches in so many ways. For starters, this approach is considered to be broad when compared with other old school approaches that do not address a number of issues raised within the health sector (Brown & Closer, 2016). In the earlier years, various medicinal anthropology’s formations and their explanations within the medicine sector tended to have a very narrow focus when explaining health matters. The matters that were explained during this time were mere beliefs and at some point behaviors. The behaviors were mostly localized and were categorized into ecological conditions, psychological factors and cultural configurations. It also leaned towards providing insights that are necessary when it comes to nature and functions of folk and traditional medical models.

These formed part of the initial medical perspectives that greatly ignored the causes and determinants of human decisions based on their behavior. The explanations that were given during this period were limited in certain quarters (Horton, Abadia, Malligan & Thompson, 2014). The limitations were related to human influences with the argument that human personalities had these limitations. Other aspects that this argument was limited in was the motivations that are culturally inclined and relationships that are ecologically local. Critical medical anthropologist advanced arguments that the initial explanations were insufficient since they did not include any form or structure of human social relationships. These human social structures had the ability to influence various social relationships on the basis of common and equal fashions that ended up influencing far-flung communities, individuals or even societies.

The key theme to the critical medicinal anthropology is the giving of more attention to the vital links various interest groups had on the national, regional and global human societies. Either, more attentions need to be given to the various configurations of social relationships that do contribute to the patterns of human belief, behavior, emotions and attitude (Pfeiffer & Nichter, 2008). The critical medicinal anthropology endeavored to understand that the various origins of cultural construction that were considered dominant when constructing health related issues had an effect on the overall performance of the health sector. Among the health-related issues that were constructed are social class and gender, interested social groups on specific health issues or concepts that were to be expressed under specified health sectors. These concepts were set to strictly arise under certain historical conditions. CMA has over the years stressed on the need to have structures of power to eliminate inequalities within the health care system by embracing various contributions of health practices and ideas meant to reinforce inequalities within societies.

Critical medicinal anthropology has always addressed the social origin of illness such as the manner in which poverty, industrial pollution, discriminations and the general environment affect peoples’ health (Bronw & Closer, 2016). Others include things like violence and the fear of violence itself that has greatly contributed to poor health care system. Critical medical anthropologists have over the years argued that experience and the need to have agency within the health care system are supposed to be constructed and reconstructed. The construction has to be within the actions arenas of socially constituted categories that give meaning and the political and economic forces that have shaped the medical context of our daily lives.

There are a number of authors whose work has contributed greatly to the world of CMA. Hans Baer has contributed massively in the field of critical medicinal anthropology through his works (Winkelman, 2008). He has participated in a number of activities including the merger of theories of social actions, peace, anti-apartheid, environment and labor among others. He has conducted a number of research work with the most notable one being that on the Hutterites in South Dakota and the Levites. Though he retired from regular academic work, he has continued his works and is active as a research fellow in various institutions of higher learning.

Paul Farmers, on the other hand, has dedicated a significant amount of his active writing and research time advocating for various rights of Haitians. He has also advocated for the universal health care for poor countries (Brown & Closer, 2016). He contributed massively contribute to the post-earth quake in Haiti especially in the medical field that has seen him transform it significantly. He has also initiated a number of projects within Haiti with the view of addressing the issues of medicine within the world system. To him, every individual has the right to access medical resources within their jurisdiction so that majority of the poor countries and their citizenry are not left out.

Mark Nitcher has distinguished himself as one of the renowned anthropologists who has specialized in medical anthropology (Pfeiffer & Nichter, 2008). Either, he has a vast experience in the area of global health, ethno medicine and health disparities. Mark has carried out a number of research work that has helped him contribute much to the field of discussion. Most of his work has been concentrated in the Asian world where he has also initiated a number of projects that has helped him contribute towards the improvement of the lives of the local population.

In conclusion, therefore, the three mentioned scholars have played a vital role in ensuring that those who are challenged in one way or the other are still catered for. To them, health care should not be denied to anyone. Either, social, cultural, political and economic factors that might deny any individual proper health care should be identified as early as possible and eliminated so that these individuals are not shortchanged nor disadvantaged when it comes to accessing health care services. Governments and societies should take charge when addressing the issues related to health care system. A lot still needs to be done to ensure that the citizenry are given the best treatment that will enable overcome a number of social inhabitants within the society.

References

Pfeiffer, J., & Nichter, M. (2008). What Can Critical Medical Anthropology Contribute To Global Health?. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 22(4), 410-415.

Horton, S., Abadia, C., Mulligan, J., & Thompson, J. J. (2014). Critical Anthropology Of Global Health “Takes A Stand” Statement: A Critical Medical Anthropological Approach To The US’s Affordable Care Act. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 28(1), 1-22.

Brown, P. J., & Closser, S. (Eds.). (2016). Understanding And Applying Medical Anthropology. Routledge.

Winkelman, M. (2008). Culture And Health: Applying Medical Anthropology. John Wiley & Sons.