Topic 3

Applied Anthropology

  • Definition: Using anthropological knowledge to solve societal problems.

Ethnographic vs. Applied Anthropology

  • Ethnographic Anthropology: Focuses on describing and testing reality, with long-term (1 year or more) individual research.

  • Applied Anthropology: Aims to solve societal problems, using short-term (weeks to months) team-based research.

Applied Medical Anthropology

  • Definition: The study of health, illness, and healing from an anthropological perspective to improve health and well-being.

Key Concepts in Medical Anthropology

  1. Western Biomedicine (Biomedical Model): Disease is caused by genetics, infection, or biological factors, using technology-driven methods.

  2. Disease vs. Illness vs. Sickness:

    • Disease: Clinically diagnosed and treated.

    • Illness: Personal experience of feeling unwell.

    • Sickness: Social expectations and responses to illness.

  3. Ethnomedical Research: Study how different cultures classify health problems (e.g., cause, symptoms, affected body parts).

  4. Approaches to Healing:

    • Private Healing: Focuses on individual care (e.g., Western medicine).

    • Community Healing: Involves group participation (e.g., traditional rituals).

    • Humoral Healing: Balancing body elements (e.g., foods that are hot or cold).

Healers & Healing Substances

  • Healers: Individuals who treat health problems based on cultural traditions. They are often chosen, trained, and recognized by their community.

  • Healing Substances: Medicines like plant-based remedies, minerals, or pharmaceuticals used for treatment.

  • Ethnopharmacology: The study of local natural remedies.

  • Ethnomedicine: Health systems based on cultural norms.

Inequalities & Health

  • Definition: Anthropologists study how social inequalities (class, gender, race, etc.) affect health outcomes.

  • Example: Indigenous health disparities in Canada, or racial health risks in the U.S.

Globalization & Health

  • New Infectious Diseases: Diseases like COVID-19 spread by global travel.

  • Diseases of Development: Health problems caused by economic projects, like schistosomiasis linked to water projects.

  • Medical Pluralism: The coexistence of multiple health systems, such as combining Western medicine with traditional healing.

Environmental Anthropology

  • Definition: The study of how societies understand, interact with, and change their environment.

Key Concepts in Environmental Anthropology

  1. Cultural Views of Nature: How different societies view and interact with nature, often blending science with spiritual beliefs.

  2. Ethnoscience: The study of how cultures classify things in the world based on their meanings.

  3. Ethnobiology: The study of how cultures understand plants and animals.

  4. Cultural Landscapes: How cultures shape their environment through their views and relationships with nature.

  5. Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK): Indigenous knowledge used in resource management and environmental assessment.

  6. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): Indigenous knowledge about ecological relationships.

  7. Political Ecology: The study of how power and inequality affect the environment, often leading to environmental degradation.

  8. Environmental Justice: The movement focused on racial discrimination in environmental policies, ensuring social equity in resources and the right to a clean environment.