Examining Medical Anthropological Theory as a catalyst for the failure of Clinically Applied Medical Anthropology

Abstract

Medical anthropological theory may be understood in two ways: first as a set of anthropological concepts and second as the application of these concepts. The theoretical concepts themselves are rarely challenged because they have been fairly well developed. However, the approach to theory and its application has traditionally been underdeveloped and thus requires more thought and practice among anthropologists. This paper asserts that a particularly clear example of the problem with the approach to and application of medical anthropological theory can be viewed in the context of clinically applied medical anthropology (CAMA). I examine two medical anthropological concepts that applied medical anthropologists use in their dealings with clinicians – critical medical anthropology and the culture concept. In doing this, I demonstrate that although these concepts are useful and clinicians need to employ them, there are a number of problems with the theoretical approach. I argue that these problems limit the application of these concepts to CAMA and offer preliminary suggestions to resolve them. In particular, clinically applied anthropologists employing critical theory should work to present a more balanced view of the clinic and physician. In addition, anthropologists working in the clinical setting must update the CAMA literature to ensure a thorough assessment of the current use of anthropological knowledge and concepts – such as culture – in medical schools and clinics.