Medicine In Contemporary China

In the post-pandemic era, medicine and healthcare infrastructure have assumed unprecedented significance. Yet, contemporary societies face severe healthcare challenges, including the unequal distribution of medical resources and fluctuating public trust in various therapeutic traditions. Chinese Mainland serves as a compelling laboratory for medical sociology due to its unique integrated healthcare system, where Chinese Medicine (CM) and Western biomedicine hold equal legal status and operate side-by-side within public hospitals.

In recent years, the Chinese government has aggressively promoted the role of CM within the national healthcare system, initiating a new wave of "Western Medicine Clinicians Learning TCM" (西学中) pilot programs across numerous hospitals. This session explores the sociological dimensions of this integrated model. We invite papers that critically examine these unique institutional arrangements, patients' perceptions and healthcare-seeking behaviors, and the professional dynamics between biomedical and Chinese medicine practitioners. Ultimately, the session aims to discuss what insights China's integrated medical system can offer to global health systems facing resource constraints and pluralistic medical traditions.

Format: This session will be conducted in a standard oral presentation format. It will feature 4 to 5 selected paper presentations (15 minutes each), followed by a structured 15-minute thematic discussion and an open Q&A session with the audience. We welcome diverse methodological approaches, including qualitative ethnographies, quantitative surveys, and comparative historical analyses.

Suggested Sub-Topics:

• Professional Identity and Power Dynamics
• Patient Agency and Medical Pluralism
• Health Equity and Resource Distribution
• State Governance and the Political Economy of Health
• Global Health Implications