ABSTRACT

Medical Pluralism in the Andes is the first major collection of anthropological approaches to health in the Andes for over twenty years. Written in tribute to Libbet Crandon Malamuds pioneering work on Andean medicine, this readable, extensively illustrated and instructive book reflects the diversity of approaches in medical anthropology that have evolved during the past two decades. Capturing the intricacies of health practice within the context of Andean social history, cultural tradition, community and folklore, this is a remarkable and intimate chronicle of Andean culture and everyday life, which will appeal across a wide range of readers, from professional anthropologists to those interested in alternative medicines.

part |60 pages

Introduction: Andean medical studies and the contribution of Libbet Crandon-Malamud

chapter |11 pages

Ethnography and the person

Reflections on Libbet Crandon's fieldwork in Bolivia

chapter |15 pages

Changing times and changing symptoms

The effects of modernization on mestizo medicine in rural Bolivia (the case of two mestizo sisters)

chapter |19 pages

Contributions to a critical analysis of medical pluralism

An examination of the work of Libbet Crandon-Malamud

part |68 pages

Choices, changing times, and medical pluralism

chapter |29 pages

Setting it straight in the Andes

Musculoskeletal distress and the role of the componedor

chapter |15 pages

Healing soul loss

The negotiation of identity in Peru

chapter |22 pages

Healers as entrepreneurs

Constructing an image of legitimized potency in urban Ecuador

part |59 pages

Andean bodies: metaphors and medicine

part |61 pages

Gender, power, and health

chapter |18 pages

Why sobreparto?

Women's work, health, and reproduction in two districts in southern Peru

chapter |16 pages

Anthropology and Shamanism

Bottom-line considerations in image and practice