Medical Anthropology in Global Africa: Current Trends in Scholarship and Practice

This conference aims to bring together Africanist anthropologists and scholars in related disciplines whose research concerns the intersections among cultural anthropology and medicine, public health, psychology, history, population & development, and science & technology studies. Few fields in the social sciences have witnessed such growth over the past decade as that of medical anthropology. Within this seemingly boundless sub-discipline of anthropology, this conference poses the question: What makes Africanist projects unique? What contributions have anthropological or ethnographic studies of Africa made to health sciences? And what, in turn, does contemporary medical anthropology and health science scholarship offer Africanists? When scholars of health in Africa trace their concerns beyond the boundaries of the continent, what lasting impact have their experiences had on the trajectory of their work? Finally, what draws the current generation of medical anthropologists and ethnographically oriented health scientists to pursue research in sub-Saharan Africa? We hope these discussions will reinvigorate the efforts of African Studies Centers to explore these novel intersections through curricular and collaborative research initiatives. Keynote: Professor Carolyn Sargent (Washington University, St. Louis) About Keynote: Interdisciplinary scholarship on Africans worldwide has revealed how migration not only concerns the movements of people, but also flows of cultural practices, ideas, capital, and disease. The intensification of these forces has reinvigorated African Studies by challenging scholars to reflect upon the continent’s global presence, both across space and over time. Professor Carolyn Sargent exemplifies the humanistic contributions anthropologists have made to the study of health and illness in cross-cultural perspective. Her current research focuses on the reproductive health concerns of Muslim West African immigrants in Paris as a window onto the social, political, and economic dynamics shaped by global migration. Professor Sargent’s work complements the efforts of medical humanists to offer insight into the human condition by privileging the voices and experiences of patients. The broader implications of this unique perspective for doctors and social theorists alike are numerous; most importantly, it speaks to the vital role the humanities play in the public demand for a more humane medical care. Featured Exhibit: Selected artifacts and photographs from the exhibit project “African Healing Journeys” of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology will be on display at the opening reception and throughout the conference at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas.For more information: http://www.africanhealingjourneys.com/