Medicine and the Cultural Politics of National Belongings in Contemporary India

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 198-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venera R. Khalikova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Cultural Politics ◽  
Medical System ◽  
Hindu Nationalism ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
National Belonging ◽  
Medical Tradition ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Government ◽  
Medical Traditions

AbstractThe Government of India claims to promote plural medical traditions, currently institutionalized under the acronym AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy). Yet, one medical system—Ayurveda—receives most social and ideological support: Ayurveda is routinely constructed as the only truly Indian, homegrown, and national medicine, while the national belonging of other AYUSH traditions is challenged. This essay explores discourses surrounding the promotion of AYUSH and the privileged position of Ayurveda, situating them within two competing nationalist ideologies: the ideology of inclusive secularism anchored in the principle of India’s cultural diversity and the ideology of Hindu nationalism, which promotes a distinctive image of India as a country with a culturally monolithic foundation. By doing so, I show how a nation can be differently imagined through one medical tradition or through medical plurality. Furthermore, by analyzing media reports, official statements, and the narratives of AYUSH practitioners, I outline factors that contribute to Ayurvedic hegemony. In particular, I argue that the exceptionalism of Ayurveda rests on the fact that, unlike other alternative medical systems in India, it has been promoted as both cultural (“Indian”) and universal medicine—that is, medicine with global appeal.

scholarly journals A News Big Data Analysis of Issues in Higher Education in Korea amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7347
Author(s):  
Jangwan Ko ◽  
Seungsu Paek ◽  
Seoyoon Park ◽  
Jiwoo Park
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
College Education ◽  
Big Data Analysis ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Government

This paper examines the main issues regarding higher education in Korea—where college education experienced minimal interruptions—during the COVID-19 pandemic through a big data analysis of news articles. By analyzing policy responses from the government and colleges and examining prominent discourses on higher education, it provides a context for discussing the implications of COVID-19 on education policy and what the post-pandemic era would bring. To this end, we utilized BIgKinds, a big data research solution for news articles offered by the Korea Press Foundation, to select a total of 2636 media reports and conducted Topic Modelling based on LDA algorithms using NetMiner. The analyses are split into three distinct periods of COVID-19 spread in the country. Some notable topics from the first phase are remote class, tuition refund, returning Chinese international students, and normalization of college education. Preparations for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), contact and contactless classes, preparations for early admissions, and supporting job market candidates are extracted for the second phase. For the third phase, the extracted topics include CSAT and college-specific exams, quarantine on campus, social relations on campus, and support for job market candidates. The results confirmed widespread public attention to the relevant issues but also showed empirically that the measures taken by the government and college administrations to combat COVID-19 had limited visibility among media reports. It is important to note that timely and appropriate responses from the government and colleges have enabled continuation of higher education in some capacity during the pandemic. In addition to the media’s role in reporting issues of public interest, there is also a need for continued research and discussion on higher education amid COVID-19 to help effect actual results from various policy efforts.

scholarly journals Characteristics and implications of insurance-reimbursed inpatient care for gastric and oesophageal cancers in Anhui, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anqi Yao ◽  
Xingrong Shen ◽  
Jing Chai ◽  
Jing Cheng ◽  
Rong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inpatient Care ◽  
Regression Discontinuity ◽  
Medical System ◽  
Anhui Province ◽  
Disposable Income ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Start Time ◽  
Treatment Variable ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Out Of Pocket Expenses

Abstract Background This study aimed to identify characteristics and trends in insurance-reimbursed inpatient care (NRIC) for gastric and oesophageal cancers and inform evaluation of medical systems reform. Methods The study extracted routinely collected records of claims for reimbursement from the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) in Anhui Province, China and performed descriptive and regression discontinuity analysis. Results From 2013 to 2017, NRIC in terms of person-time per million people (pmp) increased 5.60 and 20.62 times for gastric and oesophageal cancers, respectively. Total expense per episode for gastric and oesophageal cancers increased from 1130.25 and 22 697.99 yuan to 12 514.98 and 24 639.37 yuan, respectively. The ratio of out-of-pocket expenses per inpatient care episode to annual disposable income per capita was 0.43 for gastric cancer and 0.91 for oesophageal cancer and decreased by 0.17 and 0.47, respectively. Regression discontinuity modelling revealed that, when controlled for disposable income, illiteracy rate and months from start time, the treatment variable was significantly associated with person-times of NRIC pmp (β=0.613, p=0.000), length of stay per 105 people (β=−52.990, p=0.000) and total expenses per NRIC episode (β=2.431, p=0.000). Conclusions The study period witnessed substantial achievements in benefits to patients, inpatient care efficiency and equity. These achievements may be attributed mainly to the recent reforms launched in Anhui province, China.

Reflections on the Acquisition of Land by Non-citizens in Botswana

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-204
Author(s):  
Boga Thura Manatsha
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Policy ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
The Public ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Government ◽  
Tribal Land ◽  
Ownership Of Land ◽  
Land Transactions

There are rising public concerns about the acquisition of prime land by non-citizens/foreigners in Botswana, especially in the sprawling urban and peri-urban areas. Indians, Nigerians and Chinese, among others, are allegedly involved in such land transactions. There is a salient local resentment towards them and/or such transactions. Sensational media reports, emotive public statements by politicians, chiefs and government officials, and anger from ordinary citizens dominate the discourse. These emotive public debates about this issue warrant some academic comment. This article argues that the acquisition of land by foreigners in Botswana, in each land category—tribal, state and freehold—is legally allowed by the relevant laws. But this does not mean that citizens have no right to raise concerns and/or show their disapproval of some of these legal provisions. Aware of the public outcry, the government has since passed the Land Policy in 2015, revised in 2019, and amended the Tribal Land Act in 2018, not yet operational, to try and strictly regulate the acquisition of land by non-citizens. There is no readily available statistical data, indicating the ownership of land by foreigners in each land category. This issue is multifaceted and needs to be cautiously handled, lest it breeds xenophobia or the anti-foreigner sentiments.

scholarly journals KONFLIK UIGHUR DI XINJIANG, CHINA: PEMAHAMAN DARI SUDUT PENDEKATAN SEGI TIGA KONFLIK GALTUNG

2021 ◽  
pp. 129-150
Author(s):  
CHE MOHD AZIZ BIN YAACOB ◽  
NOR AZURA A RAHMAN
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Social Conflict ◽  
Double Standard ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Psychological Element ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Government ◽  
Protracted Social Conflict

Pergolakan antara etnik Uighur dan Kerajaan China sudah lama diperkatakan. Bermula pada tahun 1949 sehingga kini, konflik ini masih belum reda malah mengakibatkan ribuan nyawa terkorban dan harta benda musnah. Kedua-dua pihak masih memperjuangkan matlamat dan kepentingan masing-masing dan belum bersedia untuk mencari penyelesaian. Penulisan ini memfokuskan kepada pendekatan Segi tiga Konflik sebagai alternatif untuk memahami konflik yang bersifat berulang-ulang ini (Protracted Social Conflict). Terdapat tiga elemen utama dalam Pendekatan Segi tiga Konflik iaitu Situasi, Sikap dan Tingkah laku. Ketiga elemen ini saling berkaitan antara satu sama lain yang mendorong kepada turun dan naik intensiti konflik. Penulisan ini merujuk kepada sumber-sumber sekunder yang melibatkan perbincangan dalam buku, jurnal, hasil kajian, laporan media dan lain-lain lagi. Data yang diperoleh ini kemudiannya dianalisis melalui pengaplikasian elemen Segi tiga Konflik sebagai alternatif memahami konflik yang berpanjangan tersebut. Kebergantungan antara tiga elemen ini membolehkan kita memahami punca-punca konflik tersebut terperangkap di intensiti yang ekstrem. Hasil daripada pengaplikasian elemen Segi tiga Konflik ini mendapati bahawa dari sudut ‘Situasi’, konflik tersebut berlaku akibat perebutan Wilayah Xinjiang (konflik material) antara etnik Uighur dan Kerajaan China dan kini telah bertukar kepada konflik nilai (agama dan identiti) sehingga sukar dikompromi dan diselesaikan. Begitu juga dengan elemen ‘Sikap’, apabila konflik yang berpanjangan tersebut telah meningkat elemen psikologi yang tidak terkawal seperti marah, benci, cemburu, imej musuh, stereotaip dan prejudis. Akhirnya, ia membentuk elemen ‘Tingkah laku’ yang memaksa, memujuk, mengugut, ancaman, diskriminasi, asimilasi  dan pembunuhan. Salah satu contoh ialah penahanan kem pendidikan dan vokasional ke atas etnik Uighur di Xinjiang yang merupakan tingkah laku asimilasi yang melibatkan ancaman dan ugutan; ia berkaitan dengan elemen psikologi stereotaip dan double standard Kerajaan China ke atas etnik Uighur.   The unrest between the Uighurs and the Chinese government has elongated for quite a long time. Since 1949, the conflict has not subsided and resulted in thousands of lives lost and property destruction. Both sides are still fighting for their respective goals and interests, and not ready to find solutions. This paper focuses on the Galtung’s Conflict Triangle Approach as an alternative to understand this recurring conflict (Protracted Social Conflict). There are three main elements in the Conflict Triangle Approach namely Situation, Attitude and Behavior. These three elements are interconnected, leading to escalated and de-escalated of conflict intensity. This paper has made reference to secondary sources involving discussions in books, journals, research results, media reports and others. In order to understand the protracted social conflict, the data obtained are analyzed using the application of the Conflict Triangle. The interdependence between these three elements allows us to understand the causes of this conflict is trapped in extreme intensity. As a result of the application of the Conflict Triangle elements, it is found that from the ‘Situation’ point of view, there is a dispute over Xinjiang province (material conflict) between the Uighur ethnic group and the Chinese government in which has turned into a values conflict (religion and identity) that is difficult to compromise and resolve. Attitude is found as an element from the protracted social conflict which was resulted to an uncontrollable psychological element such as anger,hatred, jealousy, enemy images, stereotypes and prejudice. Eventually, it forms the behavior element of coercion, persuasion, intimidation, threats,discrimination, assimilation and murder. One example is the establishment of educational and vocational detention camps for the Uighur ethnic group in Xinjiang. The camps are part of the assimilation strategy of the government to asimilate the Uighurs. The camps are reported to execute inhuman behavior involving threats and intimidation which relate to the stereotypical psychological elements and the Chinese government’s double standard on the Uighur ethnic group.

scholarly journals CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF NAYAK ADIVASIS OF CENTRAL GUJARAT

2020 ◽  
pp. 349-358
Author(s):  
Maheshkumar Chaudhari
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Farm Labor ◽  
Grazing Cattle ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Village

People who are known as Nayakas or Nayakadas in government offices call themselves Nayak, Nayaka or Nayakada is a name given in contempt by the so-called Upper cast which is recognized by the government so that even though this caste known as Nayaka or Nayak is a tribal, it has not got any benefit as a tribal till date. In Chhota Udepur and Pavi-Jetpur talukas of Central Gujarat, some Nayaks have a little more agricultural land. So they work in agriculture, farm labor and grazing cattle in the village. In Sankheda, Naswadi taluka they work as farm laborers and cowherds. The protagonist caste is the warrior caste. In the ChhotaUdepur region they revolted three to four times to preserve their estates. Nayak revolted in 1818, 1838, 1857-59and 1868 With the help of the states of Baria, ChhotaUdepur, Vadodara and Gwalior, the main leaders of the Nayak were captured, Some surrendered, some were punished, some were released on good bail. Today the economic condition of the Nayak caste is bad. Too bad. Lives as a village herdsman. Their dress is similar to that of other tribal castes in the central gujarat. They Wear aluminum jewelry. The present paper focuses on the cultural diversity of the respective Nayak Adivasi of Central Gujarat.

scholarly journals Messy Multiculturalism - A critical conversation about state multiculturalism and the lived everyday experiences of cultural diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sara Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Weak Version ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Government

<p>This thesis provides an ethnographic study of multiculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, which investigates the tensions between government-led stories about social harmony and tolerance and the stories told by members of multicultural communities. Examining multiculturalism from an ethnographic perspective means attempting to understand this concept through the fragmented, multiform, non-systematic, evocative and constantly changing reality of social life and everyday human interactions. Essentially, this means exploring the sometimes ‘messy’ experiences of multiculturalism.  The thesis is based on a narrative approach to ethnographic fieldwork, which involves the application of auto-ethnography, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis as different avenues for story collection and analysis. I position myself as an academic listener, who makes sense of stories about multiculturalism by placing them alongside other types of stories and organising them through life-story and discourse analysis approaches. Through extensive Wellington-based fieldwork with grassroots organisations, everyday diversity experts, and multicultural activists, as well as discourse analysis of various forms of government publications and materials (i.e. conference speeches, booklets, reports, guidelines and photos), I gather evidence that reveals the complexities of multicultural identities when contrasted with government discourses of multiculturalism. I assemble and analyse two sets of stories – those told by government officials and representatives and those that emerge from the messy landscape of everyday life and grassroots multicultural movements. The key aim of this thesis is to stage a conversation between these different narrative terrains and shine a light on the disjunctive moments between government narratives about cultural diversity and the experiences, needs and aspirations of people who live multicultural lives and who engage in grassroots activism.  In analysing the evidence, this thesis reveals the complex ways in which people that live multicultural lives experience cultural belonging, and documents how they deploy strategic and creative techniques to navigate government-based forms of multiculturalism. My findings suggest that stories told from those who are a part of Aotearoa’s culturally diverse communities pose challenges to the official and government led image of New Zealand as a harmonious, tolerant and welcoming nation. By applying a narrative approach to the exploration of information distributed by the government, I demonstrate how this kind of information is discursively constructed and contributes to a larger storytelling project in which state information works to craft a particular image of the nation.  In the conversation that is staged throughout the thesis, it is argued that the government appears to support a weak version of multiculturalism, which only allows a tokenistic inclusion of ethnic minorities. The kind of multiculturalism which is aspired to from the ground – that is, by the everyday diversity experts and grassroots activists I interviewed during fieldwork – imagines a stronger version of multiculturalism. This version includes more radical forms of inclusion such as ethnic minorities being involved in decision making processes and being fairly represented in governing/public spaces, such as government agencies, local councils, school boards, law enforcement, legal institutions, and so on. Overall, this thesis contributes site specific and narrative-informed knowledge about the meaning of multiculturalism in New Zealand. It illustrates some of the factors that the government and policy makers need to be mindful of when they approach a multicultural population and matters of governance. It also exemplifies the kind of conversation topics and issues that are important and necessary to address in a multicultural settler society, when reflecting on how we understand and express the histories of cultural diversity and aspirations for a multicultural future.</p>

Political Ideology and Cultural Diversity in South Korea: Toward a Theory of Group-differentiated Rights

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-303
Author(s):  
Onjung Yang
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
The Political ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Korean Society ◽  
State Response ◽  
The Government ◽  
Korean State

Korea has experienced ideological changes in the political sphere since society experienced ethnic diversity in the 1990s. The government urgently introduced new policy agenda ‘Damunhwa’ – multicultural – in the wake of up-surging social problems such as embracing cultural differences and human rights of foreigners as a salient issue following multicultural explosion with a large number of foreigners. As a result, many scholars argue that the Korean state response to cultural diversity has shifted from differential exclusion to assimilation toward immigrants in current society. However, it should be mentioned that it is implausible to link assimilation with a successful political ideology to manage ethnic diversity effectively. In this article, I argue that it is time to present a new political ideology for future directions in order to integrate ethnic minorities into a universally acceptable manner through consideration of the theory of group-differentiated rights in the context of Korean society.

Tibetan Medicine and Biomedicine: Epistemological Conflicts, Practical Solutions

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey B. Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Medicine ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Medicinal Substances ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Traditional Tibetan Medicine ◽  
The One ◽  
Medical Traditions ◽  
Soul Loss

The western adaptation of non-western medical systems and traditions is a complex process that takes place at a variety of different levels. In many practical medical contexts, epistemological issues receive little attention. Both patients and practitioners may switch frameworks relatively freely, without much concern about underlying theoretical assumptions. Epistemological issues may be more central elsewhere, for example in regard to the licensing and approval of practitioners and medicinal substances, or in terms of the rethinking of western models of knowledge to include new insights from these non-western sources. I suggest in this paper that the major learned medical traditions of Asia, such as āyurveda and traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Tibetan medicine, for all their differences from biomedicine and among each other, are in some respects relatively compatible with western biomedical understandings. They can be read in physiological terms, as referring to a vocabulary of bodily processes that underlie health and disease. Such approaches, however, marginalise or exclude elements that disrupt this compatibility (e.g. references to divinatory procedures, spirit attack or flows of subtle 'energies'). Other non-western healing practices, such as those in which spirit attack, 'soul loss' or 'shamanic' procedures are more central, are less easily assimilated to biomedical models, and may simply be dismissed as incompatible with modern scientific understandings. Rather than assenting to physiological reduction in the one case, and dismissal as pre-scientific in the other, we should look for a wider context of understanding within which both kinds of approach can be seen as part of a coherent view of human beings and human existence.

Mexican Traditional Medicine: Application of a Traditional and Complementary Medicine System to Improve Opioid Use Treatment in Latinos

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya R. Sorrell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Complementary Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical System ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Integrative Health ◽  
Improve Health

Background: Initially considered a primarily rural, White issue, opioid use and overdose rates have risen faster for Latinos (52.5%) than for White, non-Hispanics (45.8%) from 2014 to 2016. With an estimated 45% to 65% of Latino immigrant families using Mexican traditional medicine (MTM) practices before seeking Western medical services, these practices could be used as a method to increase access to care and improve outcomes. Practice Model: Although not well known, MTM is founded on a defined set of theoretical tenets that comprise a whole medical system as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Whole medical systems are characterized as complete systems of theory and practice that develop independently and parallel allopathic medicine. Classifying MTM as a whole medical system to encourage further research and utilization of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) practices could help improve health outcomes for Latino patients. Specific T&CM practices that could be used in opioid treatment integration to decrease stigma and increase treatment utilization are then discussed. Conclusion: Incorporating T&CM practices will allow more effective, culturally competent and culturally sensitive health care provision for Latino immigrants in the United States to decrease stigma, improve health care outcomes, and address disparities in opioid use treatment.

Vitality, Self-healing and Ecology: The Flow of Naturopathic Thought Across the United States and India

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-143
Author(s):  
Victoria Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
South India ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Environmental Advocacy ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Cultural Climate ◽  
Medical Traditions

For over 5,000 years, the region now known as India has held a rich reservoir of medical systems, each providing distinct orientations towards illness experience, aetiology, cure and prevention. Since the turn of the twentieth century, there has been a considerable rise in the cultural recontextualisation of European and North American medical traditions in South Asia. With a focus on the guiding concepts of vitality, self-healing and ecology, this article maps the transnational trajectories of naturopathy across three sites: its instantiation into the United States’ early 1900s cultural climate of health epidemics and industrialisation; its rearticulation into the context of Gandhian anti-colonial movements in India; and its transformation into a mode of asserting public health and environmental advocacy in contemporary India. After tracing the trajectory of naturopathic thought, this article will provide a practitioner profile of naturopathy Dr Jacob Vadakkanchery as well as a framing of his politicised response to the 2018 floods in Kerala, south India. This particular examination serves as a microcosm of a larger trend: contemporary practitioners in India overtly re-frame naturopathic concepts in relation to immanent environmental and public health concerns.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document