Medical Anthropology
Nature, Spirit, and Medicine: Ethnomedical Traditions of the Manger Community in the Sikkim Himalayas
Dhami-Jhankri, Ethnomedicine, Indigenous Knowledge, Medical Anthropology, Medicinal plants, Sustainable harvestingBy: NISHA THAPA MANGER – This paper presents an integrated ethnographic and ethnobotanical account of the Manger community (also spelled Mangar and identified as Magar in Nepal) in the Sikkim Himalayas. Based on fieldwork in the villages of Mangsari and Suldung in West Sikkim, the study examines the Dhami-Jhankri shamanic healing tradition, the community’s pluralistic…
Trauma-Informed Medical Anthropology, Pedagogy and Challenges
By: UPMESH KUMAR, RAVINDER SINGH – The paper examines trauma in Indian contexts from various perspectives, including gender, caste, intergenerational trauma, ethnographic studies, and autobiographies of marginalized people, emphasizing why and how it should be taught. It also highlights the anthropological perspective, drawing on contributions from anthropologists working at various ethnographic sites worldwide. The paper…
Medical Anthropology: Its Emergence in Mental Health Sciences
By: RAVINDER SINGH – This paper highlights the significance of medical anthropology in the realm of mental health sciences and the understanding of the various dimensions of social life. It sheds light on how anthropological cultural studies provide a complementary perspective on the way emotional and behavioral issues can lead to psychiatric conditions. These disorders,…
Traditional Healing Practices and the Role of Traditional Health Care Practitioners among Kulung Rai community in Sikkim
Disease, Ethnomedicine, health, Illness, India, Kulung, Medical Anthropology, Rai, Shaman, Sikkim, Traditional healer, Traditional healing practices, Traditional healthcare practitionerBy: TENZING ZANGMU LEPCHA – Kulung is one of the clans under Rai community in Sikkim. Traditionally, among Kulung Rai, the concept of somodakha/tobburiri (health), tukkha (illness) and somori (disease) are completely directed by their belief in supernatural beings and have their own traditional system to deal with. Traditional healers have the most important role to play in Kulung Rai society…