4/27 Intermingling cultures in Bolivian traditional medicine | Amanda Flores

A brief summary of what my research project is on so far. In this video, I bring up what my idea is, the important ideas I've learned from my research, and how I intend to structure my paper. All your suggestions are welcome, and I look forward to hearing them! -Amanda

[dstras]

Looks great Amanda! I think it's a super interesting topic. The traditional medicine in Bolivia is a very rich cultural aspect, with lots of ties to the spiritual practices of people. In my personal experience, I visited a lot of people in Bolivia who live on the border between the two worlds. These people who live on the outskirts of cities strongly identify with their indigenous roots, but live in more modernized settings. Might be interesting to look at their practices!

[Anthropology-fyhz]

This seems like a really engaging project, Amanda!! The sources you mentioned were great; I think that if you could find an article/an ethnography that emphasizes more of the Quechuan perspective with respect to the work of humanitarian workers/western doctors, as well, that could balance out your paper really nicely, and give you a sense of the multifold dynamics of the interactions you're exploring. – Natalie Janzow

[Anthropology-fyhz]

Are you looking at the evolution of medical practices or just at the contemporary practices and how they interact with urban Bolivia?--Mayumi Cornejo

[Anthropology-fyhz]

I really enjoyed learning about your topic, Amanda! I am interested in learning what results from this intermingling of cultures. In other words, how is language used in these exchanges?--Shawheen Rezaei

[Anthropology-fyhz]

Hi Amanda, your topic is awesome. I think there are a lot of interesting tensions here - indigenous vs non indigenous, Quechua vs Spanish, Urban vs Rural, Traditional vs. Non-traditional. It might be useful to try to narrow down exactly what tension you are looking at, since while there is overlap, the breakdowns can include or exclude different things. So, for example, looking at Urban vs. Rural people is not necessarily the same as looking at Quechua speaking vs Spanish speaking. Overall this sounds really interesting, just something to consider! - Megan

[MelissaJoseph]

You did a really good job finding relevant ethnographies/case studies/sources to base your paper on. A question I have is about theoretical ties. Which authors from class were you planning on incorporating? :)

[Anthropology-fyhz]

This looks like an interesting topic, Amanda. Do you know if the ethnography you're using discusses which languages (Quechua vs. Spanish) are used in the interactions in the markets? If so, that might be a way to include language in the paper. - B. Thue

[Anthropology-fyhz]

Hi Amanda. Are you hoping to see how indigenous vs. non-indigenous practices interact or how these practices have changed over time. It might be best to focus on one but also comment on the other, rather than looking at everything in great detail. -Liam McGill

[Certamenchick]

This is a really cool project! I was just a little confused about what your sources of evidence are-- are you using any new data or just the ethnography?  How are you including the experience of the health workers?  Just from a methodological perspective, I'm a little confused.

[nachosabateful]

Hi Amada! I really liked your project! My only comment is that I fear the sources of your project might be a little one sided. It seems as though you rely heavily on the work of one anthropologist. Have you though about talking to people over the phone at different health centers in Bolivia?

[Anthropology-fyhz]

I am wondering if you are making a very strong claim about urbanism = Spanish/outsiders and rural = indigenous. This type of argument tends to minimize the importance of indigenous communities. Do the ethnographies that you are using include sufficient linguistic evidence? Have you considered maybe looking at media sources? Or for ethnographies that include video footage etc. - Sarah Martini