ABSTRACT

This widely adopted text is a concise and engaging introduction to the field that presents competing theoretical perspectives in a balanced fashion, highlighting points of conflict and convergence.

Written in an accessible, jargon-free language, Exploring Medical Anthropology’s concise length leaves room for instructors to supplement it with monographs of their own choosing. Concrete cases and the author’s personal research experiences are utilized to explain some of the discipline’s most important insights; such as that biology and culture matter equally in the human experience of disease and that medical anthropology can help to alleviate human suffering.   An extensive glossary facilitates student learning of concepts and terms, while a list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter and an extensive bibliography encourage further exploration.

chapter 1|13 pages

What’s So Cultural about Disease?

chapter 5|11 pages

The Global Petri Dish

chapter 6|19 pages

Healers and the Healing Professions

chapter 8|16 pages

Anthropology and Medical Ethics

chapter 9|10 pages

Body, Self, and Biotechnologies

chapter 10|7 pages

A Look Back and a Glance Ahead