Medical Anthropology and Global Systems Review

Flashcards covering medical anthropology basics, the case study of Lia Lee, globalization concepts, and Chinese therapeutic practices.

What are the primary focuses of medical anthropologists when studying human health and illness?

Medical anthropologists focus on how health and illness are influenced by cultural beliefs, social structures, and the environment.

According to the basic premises of medical anthropology, how are illness categories described?

Illness categories are never universal, fixed, or self-evident; rather, they are culturally constituted and fluid in their meanings.

How do medical anthropologists characterize the relationship between biomedicine and other healing systems?

The relationship is viewed as intertwined, complex, and syncretic.

In Hmong culture, what is the spiritual cause believed to be behind Lia's condition, known as "Quag dab peg"?

The Hmong believed the condition was caused by soul loss, which translates to "the spirit catches you, and you fall down."

What was the primary Western medical diagnosis for Lia’s condition?

Western medicine viewed her condition as epilepsy, a neurological disorder treated with medication.

What legal action was taken by doctors in Lia's medical journey due to "noncompliance" and what power does it represent?

Doctors used their medical power and legal authority to place Lia into foster care when they deemed her family unfit due to their lack of understanding of cultural practices.

Why did the Hmong flee Laos following the Vietnam War?

They were recruited by the U.S. as allies and were subsequently seen as a threat by the Laotian communist party, leading to flight from conflict and oppression.

What was the purpose of the "dispersal policy" regarding Hmong refugees in the U.S.?

The policy spread refugees across different cities so no single location would absorb all the costs, which was detrimental to Hmong culture and community.

What is the definition of "globalization" as provided in the notes?

A complex and uneven process in which local and national capital, labor, technology, media, and ideas become interconnected and integrated into a large framework of production, finance, and trade beyond national borders.

What is the definition of "localization"?

The process where global social and economic forces are articulated through specific local forces, giving global practices different meanings in different cultural contexts.

What three factors contributed to the formation of a global economy?

1. Technology advancements in communication and transportation. 2. Transnational corporations operating in multiple nation-states. 3. The collapse of communism and the entry of former socialist countries into the capitalist system.

What are the five dimensions of global cultural flow according to Arjun Appadurai?

Ethnoscapes, Technoscapes, Financescapes, Mediascapes, and Ideoscapes.

What is a "global city" and what are its general characteristics?

A central place with immense concentrations of economic and financial power. Characteristics include a contrast between rich and poor, political influence, business transactions between cities, and diverse populations due to global mobility.

What does James Ferguson mean by "global disconnect" using Zambia’s Copperbelt as an example?

Global disconnect refers to communities that are integrated into the global economy but remain marginalized; in the Copperbelt, workers once connected through copper mining felt excluded and abjected when the industry declined.

What is the difference between an "embodied patient" and a "reimbursable patient"?

An embodied patient is the real person with physical symptoms, while a reimbursable patient is the version translated into electronic medical records via billing codes.

What act contributed to the creation of the "reimbursable patient" concept in $2009$?

The HITECH Act of $2009$, along with the rise of EHRs (Electronic Health Records).

What does the notion of "bentuhua" mean in the context of Chinese psychotherapy?

It refers to when Chinese practitioners select, change, and make sense of therapeutic practices to fit the Chinese cultural context and expectations.

Which therapeutic model emphasizes communication and emotional honesty to align with Chinese values of family cohesion?

Satir family therapy.

What is "therapeutic governing" in the context of Chinese organizations?

The use of psychiatric and psychological interventions by state and non-state authorities to subtly regulate, shape, and manage the conduct of individuals and groups.

According to James Smith, what mineral is extracted for cell phone production that contributes to exploitation and cycles of violence?

Coltan, which is used to make tantalum for electronic devices.