Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology

by Ron Barrett, Peter Brown

Overview of Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology

This collection of 49 readings with extensive background description exposes students to the breadth of theoretical perspectives and issues in the field of medical anthropology. The text provides specific examples and case studies of research as it is applied to a range of health settings: from cross-cultural clinical encounters to cultural analysis of new biomedical technologies to the implementation of programs in global health settings.

Synopsis of Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology

This collection of 49 readings with extensive background description exposes students to the breadth of theoretical perspectives and issues in the field of medical anthropology. The text provides specific examples and case studies of research as it is applied to a range of health settings: from cross-cultural clinical encounters to cultural analysis of new biomedical technologies to the implementation of programs in global health settings.

Booknews

Compiles 43 readings selected for readability, a mix of classic and more recent contributions, a range in theoretical orientation and difficulty, and ethnographic variation. Part I discusses topics pertaining to biocultural and cultural approaches. Part II presents applications of medical anthropology including case studies, ethnicity and health care, stigma and coping with chronic illness, gender and women's health, culture and nutrition, and international health issues and programs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About the Author, Ron Barrett

Peter J. Brown teaches at Emory University. He is a professor in the Department of Anthropology, Emory College of Arts and Sciences and also a professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health. He serves as the Director of Emory’s Center for Health, Culture and Society. He has co-edited : The Anthropology of Infectious Diseases; Emerging Illnesses and Society: Negotiating the Public Health Agenda; Applying Anthropology (9th edition); and Applying Cultural Anthropology (8th edition). His research primarily deals with sociocultural aspects of malaria and its control, and he serves on a malaria-related Scientific Advisory Committee for the World Health Organization. He has an additional research interest on cultural issues in obesity and its related chronic diseases. Recipient of several teaching awards, he is a director of a new program "Global Health, Culture and Society" at Emory College.

Ron Barrett is a medical anthropologist and assistant professor at Emory University. His research interests concern the social dynamics of infectious diseases, religious healing, and decision-making at the end of life in both India and the United States. His study of religious healing and the stigma of leprosy is the subject of a book: Aghor Medicine: Pollution, Death, and Healing in Northern India (University of California Press). Barrett is also a registered nurse with clinical experience in hospice, neuro-intensive care, and brain injury rehabilitation.

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