295
Sociology, Theory and Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Friday, 20 July 2018: 17:30-19:20
Location: 714B (MTCC SOUTH BUILDING)
RC15 Sociology of Health (host committee)

Language: English

Sociological research on traditional/indigenous medicines (TMs) and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) has grown into a thriving field, particularly in the last 15-20 years.  Empirical studies on the use, practice and organisation of TM/CAM across different geographical areas and within different sectors of the health system have flourished, but theoretical frameworks have generally been limited and underdeveloped. 

In this session, we invite submissions that address and deepen theoretical understandings of TM/CAM, illustrated where appropriate by empirical case studies.  These may include, but are not limited to:

-          broader macro-political issues in TM/CAM, such as the possibilities of integration or the development of hybrid medical forms

-          linking embodied experiences (of patients and practitioners) to social movements and trends

-          the relationship between TM/CAM and the state and international organisations (such as WHO), including regulatory forms, governance arrangements and the power/legitimacy of heterodox medical forms

-          TM/CAM and its relationship to late/post-modernity

-          TM/CAM practices and experiences through the lens of the new materialism

-          Cross-cultural comparison and theoretical frames for understanding TM/CAM practice as it moves across cultural boundaries.

Session Organizers:
Nelson BARROS, University of Campinas, Brazil, Caragh BROSNAN, University of Newcastle, Australia, Nicola GALE, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and Michael SAKS, University of Suffolk, United Kingdom
Chair:
Nelson BARROS, University of Campinas, Brazil
Oral Presentations
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Theories of Marginality and Precarity
Michael SAKS, University of Suffolk, United Kingdom; Joana ALMEIDA, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom
‘Integrative Health’ As a Political Project: Institutional Arrangements Towards CAM at the Federal Level in the U.S.
Geoffroy CARPIER, Université de Rouen, France; Patrice COHEN, Université de Rouen Normandie, France
Distributed Papers
Cyberspace and Postmodernization of the Medical Arena (Case Study: Music Therapy)
Atefeh AGHAEI, Phd Candidate of Communicatin, Iran; Masoumeh SHAFATI, PHD Candidate of Sociology University of Tehran, Iran
From Acupuncture to Ozone Therapy: Exploring Uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in Elite Sport
Catherine COVENEY, De Montfort University, United Kingdom; Jonathan GABE, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom; Alex FAULKNER, Global Health, Sussex University, Brighton, United Kingdom
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