Critical Medical Anthropology: Perspectives In And From Latin America (embodying Inequalities: Perspectives From Medical Anthropology)

Latin American critical medical anthropology (LA-CMA) is a product of its context. Social histories of inequality, ethnocide, racism and internal and external colonialism, aggravated by a spate of dictatorships interspersed by foreign military interventions, civil war and rebellion, have marked Latin America and its academic production as deeply as its richly diverse cultural and ethnic landscape. When universities took on a central social role during the decades of economic development in the 1940s– 60s, academic voices began generating critical commentary regarding the human fallout of economic, political and social processes. Anthropological and sociological works that documented similar and contrasting social patterns in Central America, Mexico, the southern cone and Andean regions contributed to critical debates drawing on Marxist and Gramscian thought, dependency theories and Soviet-era communism, while Catholic liberation theology and indigenous epistemologies added ideological and ideational perspectives to interpretations of history, development, culture and wellbeing. The editors sought to create a volume that included a significant number of authors whose work has rarely or never been published in English, with an implicit focus on both the ethnographic context and the generation or reinterpretation of Latin American critical theory. The book provides a showcase for cutting-edge ethnographically informed anthropological research focused on and informed by Latin American social and historical contexts, including original theoretical contributions. The collection includes work spanning four regions in Latin America (Mexico,INTRODUCTION 3 Brazil, Guatemala and Peru) as well as the trans-migratory contexts they connect and are defined by. It draws on research that is focused on diverse social practices and contexts pertaining to health, including reproduction, sex work, rare and chronic diseases and the use of pharmaceuticals. In doing so it addresses themes of central relevance to medical anthropology and global health, such as agency, identity, reproductive politics, indigenous health and human rights. Given the wealth of research being undertaken in Latin America and given its specific history of engagement with critical theory, there is an urgent need to provide wider access to this expertise for an English-speaking audience who can engage in dialogue with, and learn from, anthropological work being undertaken in the region. Several of the chapters were co-authored by Latin American and European or North American scholars, providing a double perspective that adds value to this collaborative endeavour. The final product, we hope, explores the hugely valuable contribution that LA-CMA can play in understanding, explaining and potentially addressing some of the most pressing health concerns facing our globalised world today. tents List of figures vii List of tables viii List of contributors ix Preface: Critical medical anthropology in Latin America: Trends, contributions, possibilities Eduardo L. Menéndez xiv Introduction Paola M. Sesia, Jennie Gamlin, Sahra Gibbon and Lina Berrio 1 Part I: Intercultural health: Critical approaches and current challenges 17 1. Anthropological engagement and interdisciplinary research: The critical approach to indigenous health in Brazil 19 Esther Jean Langdon and Eliana E. Diehl 2. Critical anthropologies of maternal health: Theorising from the field with Mexican indigenous communities 42 Jennie Gamlin and Lina Berrio 3. Susto, the anthropology of fear and critical medical anthropology in Mexico and Peru 69 Frida Jacobo Herrera and David Orr 4. Post-coital pharmaceuticals and abortion ambiguity: Avoiding unwanted pregnancy using emergency contraception and misoprostol in Lima, Peru 90 Rebecca Ironsvi CONTENTS Part II: Globalisation and contemporary challenges of border spaces and biologised difference 117 5. Migrant trajectories and health experiences: Processes of health/illness/care for drug use among migrants in the Mexico–United States border region 119 Olga Lidia Olivas Hernández 6. Border Spaces: Stigma and social vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among Central American male migrants at the Mexico– Guatemala border 145 Rubén Muñoz Martínez, Carmen Fernández Casanueva, Sonia Morales Miranda and Kimberly C. Brouwer 7. The ethno-racial basis of chronic diseases: Rethinking race and ethnicity from a critical epidemiological perspective 170 Melania Calestani and Laura Montesi Part III: Political economy and judicialisation 193 8. Consultation rooms annexed to pharmacies: The Mexican private, low-cost healthcare system 195 Rosa María Osorio Carranza 9. Naming, framing and shaming through obstetric violence: A critical approach to the judicialisation of maternal health rights violations in Mexico 222 Paola M. Sesia 10. Judicialisation and the politics of rare disease in Brazil: Rethinking activism and inequalities 248 Waleska Aureliano and Sahra Gibbon Afterword 270 Claudia Fonseca Index 277

Critical Medical Anthropology presents inspiring work from scholars doing and engaging with ethnographic research in or from Latin America, addressing themes that are central to contemporary Critical Medical Anthropology (CMA). This includes issues of inequality, embodiment of history, indigeneity, non-communicable diseases, gendered violence, migration, substance abuse, reproductive politics and judicialisation, as these relate to health. 

The collection of ethnographically informed research, including original theoretical contributions, reconsiders the broader relevance of CMA perspectives for addressing current global healthcare challenges from and of Latin America. It includes work spanning four countries in Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala and Peru) as well as the trans-migratory contexts they connect and are defined by. By drawing on diverse social practices, it addresses challenges of central relevance to medical anthropology and global health, including reproduction and maternal health, sex work, rare and chronic diseases, the pharmaceutical industry and questions of agency, political economy, identity, ethnicity, and human rights.

'Critical Medical Anthropology offers thought-provoking interventions to understandings of health, illness and healthcare. It extends a legacy of critical anthropological research, inviting and stimulating south-north dialogue, while generating inspiring new thinking at the intersections of health, social justice, human rights and political economy.'- Ciara Kierans, University of Liverpool

 

Critical Medical Anthropology presents inspiring work from scholars doing and engaging with ethnographic research in or from Latin America, addressing themes that are central to contemporary Critical Medical Anthropology (CMA). This includes issues of inequality, embodiment of history, indigeneity, non-communicable diseases, gendered violence, migration, substance abuse, reproductive politics and judicialisation, as these relate to health. The collection of ethnographically informed research, including original theoretical contributions, reconsiders the broader relevance of CMA perspectives for addressing current global healthcare challenges from and of Latin America. It includes work spanning four countries in Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala and Peru) as well as the trans-migratory contexts they connect and are defined by. By drawing on diverse social practices, it addresses challenges of central relevance to medical anthropology and global health, including reproduction and maternal health, sex work, rare and chronic diseases, the pharmaceutical industry and questions of agency, political economy, identity, ethnicity, and human rights. 'Critical Medical Anthropology offers thought-provoking interventions to understandings of health, illness and healthcare. It extends a legacy of critical anthropological research, inviting and stimulating south-north dialogue, while generating inspiring new thinking at the intersections of health, social justice, human rights and political economy.'- Ciara Kierans, University of Liverpool Critical Medical Anthropology Presents Inspiring New Work From Scholars Engaged With And Carrying Out Ethnographic Research In Or From Latin America, Addressing Themes Of Central Importance To Contemporary Perspectives On Critical Medical Anthropology (cma). This Includes Issues Of Health Inequalities, Embodiment Of History, Indigenous Health, Non-communicable Diseases, Social Justice, Gendered Violence, Migration, Substance Abuse, Reproductive Politics And The Judicialisation Of Health. It Includes Work Spanning Four Countries In Latin America (mexico, Brazil, Guatemala And Peru) As Well As The Trans-migratory Contexts They Connect And Are Defined By. By Drawing On Diverse Social Practices It Addresses Themes Of Central Relevance To Medical Anthropology And Global Health, Including Reproduction And Maternal Health, Sex Work, Rare And Chronic Disease And The Use Of Pharmaceuticals And Incorporating Questions Of Agency, Identity, Reproductive Politics, Indigenous Health, And Human Rights.