Write an essay on an ethnographic case study of your own choice which explicitly focuses on a healing practice, ritual, mode of illness management, or medical intervention. You can choose to explore something we have already looked at in class (ritual healing, symbolism in ritual, a specific healing modality, shamanism for example, or something new). The case study is intended as a way by which you can explore and unpack either of the following:
1. The relationship between individual illness management and governance/power relations, OR;
2. The relationship between healing, the body, and social world/cultural context
Once you have chosen a case study, drawing from ethnographic (anthropological) sources, you will use your case study as a way to discuss larger questions, while remaining specific about context. You are expected to make an argument about how we might better understand or interpret a particular example of illness management under the conditions of Modernity and contemporary society or a particular example of a healing practice, ritual, modality, etc in light of your research activity.
This is a research essay. Therefore, you must incorporate appropriate academic literature and scholarly sources available on the topic that you wish to write about. Do not spend your entire paper summarising the case study – dig into your research and analyse the various arguments and positions within your sources to develop a structured and considered research essay.
Further, you are expected to apply two theoretical approaches/questions/concepts we have studied to your critical analysis – for example, panopticism, limit situations, techniques of the body, ‘social roles’, symbolism, discipline – the best research essays will be those that can discuss independently researched sources in the context of the theoretical approaches taught in the unit.
