Conference report on the anniversary conference: ‘Transfigurationen: Medizin macht Gesellschaft macht Medizin’, 17-18 February 2017, organised by the working group Medical Anthropology Switzerland of the Swiss Anthropological Association (SEG), Wiener Dialoge der Medizinanthropologie (Vienna Dialogues on Medical Anthropology) and the…
Weaving the World in Conversation with Paul Stoller: From Sensuous Scholarship to Public Anthropology
Writing ethnographic texts is a central skill for anthropologists. How does one make a sound theoretical argument and simultaneously capture the reader’s full attention by bringing her or him to the field with words? PhD candidates in anthropology are required…
Warum Mindfulness, Life Coaching und Self-Help an Popularität gewinnen: Der Workshop „Travelling and Transforming Therapeutics“ nahm therapeutische Praktiken global unter die Lupe
Verschiedene therapeutische Praktiken des Selbst, welche zur Förderung von Gesundheit, Glücksempfinden und seelischem Wohlergehen eingesetzt werden – beispielsweise self-help, Coaching, Kurse für spirituelles Wachstum, self-tracking sowie alternative und komplementäre Therapieformen –, sind weltweit populärer geworden. Um diese Praktiken herum sind…
Refusing Blood, Establishing Relational Biocitizenship: Collectivizing Moments among Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany
In recent years anthropology has increasingly focused its attention on the dynamics of refusal (McGranahan 2016): from studies of Israelis who refuse to serve in the military (Weiss 2016) to the Mohawks’ refusal to recognize the state’s understanding of community…
An Option with no Choice? The Role of Preventive Technologies in (Dis-)Locating a Malaria Epidemic
In August 2016, during a science-meets-policy summit in Kampala’s famous Serena Hotel, a presentation on the (in-)effectiveness of so-called long-lasting insecticide-treated nets against malaria sparked a heated debate. The presentation was given by an infectious disease specialist from Makerere University…
Locating Care within the Nascent Infrastructure: Renal Dialysis in Thailand
When new epidemics hit us, calls for infrastructural development are renewed. More investment in hospital facilities, medical staff and the development of effective protocols for disease control is clearly advisable as seen with the recent end of the Ebola outbreak…