Macquarie University

Culture, Illness and Healing - ANTH716

This unit examines the cultural, socio-economic, and political dimensions of disease and health. Notions of disease causality and healing practices vary enormously across societies, and an understanding of the dynamics of these factors is crucial not only for theoretical advancement, but also for applied intervention in the field of international public health. In addition to surveying the key conceptual developments in the field of medical anthropology, we look at how anthropological perspectives and methods can be used in applied settings (for example, to improve communication between health practitioners and patients). We also explore issues in critical medical anthropology, such as: How do global inequalities and violence affect health in developing countries? What larger social transformations accompany the rise of biomedicine, including recent biomedical technologies? And how might medical anthropology shape global health policies and interventions.