No abstract

No abstract

When engaging in cross-cultural comparisons, medical anthropology has often tended to employ dichotomous typologies. This results in a reductionist analysis that obliterates the complexities within medical cultures and assimilates them into one homogenous type. This article makes a case for studying the different sources of medical knowledge within the category of ‘Indian medicine’ as they emerge from the differing ontological positions yet intersecting practices of laymen and experts. It goes on to explore the epistemological implications of this pluralism. The article explores the multiple genres of medical knowledge prevalent among people in a region in central Tamil Nadu to examine the relationship between professional, folk and lay practitioners. This analysis shows the complexity of medical knowledge and highlights the inadequacy of established dichotomies.

The discourses on globalisation focus their attention on the flow of capital and technology from the global North. Historical, anthropological and sociological studies, however, point to crucial flows of medical knowledge, health practices, medicinal plants, other genetic resources and the first-hand knowledge of their applications into the global North from other regions rich in biodiversity. These flows do not just continue to happen but have been significant in shaping the postmodern condition. This collection is an attempt to draw attention to the less visible flows by presenting the epistemic, political, social and ecological dimensions of the globalisation of South Asian medicines and the ramifications of this process abroad and at home. The introduction outlines a framework to understand the convergences and divergences in the medical systems and health practices in the South Asian region. Although contemporary trajectories of traditional medicines in South Asian nations are many and varied, they face similar issues and share common anxieties. The challenge will be in evolving effective solutions at many levels and there are several possibilities for mutual learning among the South Asian nations.

No abstract