ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the variable involvement of anthropologists in international health, noting the factors within and outside the discipline which influenced the evolution of this field. It outlines the scope of the field and cites important literature sources. One of the most important growth areas within medical anthropology has been in the field of international community health. The chapter discusses anthropological involvement in international health in three broad phases: the early period of active involvement; the middle period of minimal involvement; and the period of growing involvement. The structure and culture of health bureaucracies at the local, national and international level has been studied as a major impediment to the achievement of program goals. Anthropological research in international health relied primarily on traditional ethnographic methods, usually involving a single community, extended fieldwork, participant observation, in-depth interviews and use of key informants.
