Health

Anthropology is unique amongst the social sciences in its ability to integrate the biological, social and cultural aspects of what it means to be human. The discipline’s holistic approach renders it particularly beneficial to the study of health and medicine. Biological anthropologists work in medical schools or departments of physiology, nutrition and pathology, conducting research on evolutionary origins, lifestyles and dietary changes that may shed light on contemporary health issues. Biological anthropologists also find posts as researchers looking at human genetic development or, if they have undergone specialised forensic training, as medical/legal consultants identifying skeletal remains.

Social anthropologists can find jobs working for health ministries, or with organisations such as Oxfam, the World Health Organisation, and local medical centres. They often fulfill roles acting as cultural mediators, helping to communicate cross-cultural understandings of health and illness in order to make public health initiatives more effective for specific groups. Some social anthropologists work with non-western medical practitioners documenting their healing practices and analysing their role within a community. Whether researching epidemics, looking at lifestyle issues, or assessing public health policies, anthropologists aim to enhance communication and understanding of health and illness across local and global contexts.

Recommended Resources

Visit our Medical Anthropology webpage

General

http://groups.creighton.edu/aarg/ - AIDS and Anthropology research group.

http://www.ahj.syllabapress.com/ - Anthropology & Health is an e-journal on Biocultural Anthropology and Cultural Health.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/medical/default.htm - A teaching/learning tutorial covering various aspects of medical anthropology, created by Dr. Dennis O’Neil of Palomar College.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1SEC898629 - Canadian encyclopaedic entry giving a very thorough description of medical anthropology and in particular the sub-discipline’s nature in Canada.

http://student.bmj.com/issues/06/04/careers/160.php - An interview with the late anthropologist and medical practitioner Cecil Helman.

Professional Organisations, Groups and Associations

The European Association of Social Anthropologists’ Medical Anthropology Network - The network aims to connect national, regional, and transnational networks of anthropologists working in this subfield.

The Society for Medical Anthropology – The SMA serves to promote the support and collaboration of graduate students, anthropologists, and scholars who address issues of local, national and international health importance.

The Royal Anthropological Institute’s Medical Anthropology Committee – is a committee concerned with anthropological research and teaching relating to health, sickness, medicine and health care around the world.

Articles

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jul/06/obituary-cecil-helman - a memoir of the life and work of anthropologist Cecil Helman.

Books

Culture, Health and Illness 5th Edition

By: Cecil G. Helman ( Hodder Arnold, 2007)

Medicine as Culture: Illness, Disease and the Body in Western Societies

Edited by:  Deborah Lupton (Sage, 2003)

Recruitment

http://www.who.int/en/ - The World Health Organisation is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.

http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/homepage.aspx - The National Health Service in the UK is the world’s largest publicly funded health care system.

http://www.safh.org.uk/safh_php/index.php - Social Action for Health is a community development charity.

Disclaimer: The above information is provided for information and guidance only. It should not be interpreted as endorsement or otherwise by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) for any external institution listed.  Furthermore, the RAI accepts no responsibility for material created by external parties or the content of external websites.