Speaker: Prof. V. Sujatha, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU, New Delhi.

Abstract:

The discussion around scientific versus nonscientific medicine rested on the statement that scientific medicine, namely biomedicine, is universal because its theories, drugs and treatment protocols are replicable under objective conditions and, reliable and consistent in their outcome irrespective of context, as opposed to ‘ethnomedicine’ and non-biomedical systems like Chinese medicine, sowarigpa or ayurveda that were local and context dependent in their efficacy. Against this background how do we understand the global spread of Asian medicines? What are the ways in which the scientific aspects and content of medicine aresocially validated? Who determines the efficacy of a treatment - physician, patient, administrator or scientist? This presentation addresses some of these questions by looking at field data on ayurveda in Europe gathered as part of a UGC-DAAD project during 2009-10.

About the Speaker:

Prof. V. Sujatha is with the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU, New Delhi. Her work has largely focused upon the fields of ‘Sociology of knowledge’, and ‘Sociology of health and medicine with particular reference to traditional systems of medicine’. Some of her recent books are Sociology of Health and medicine: New Perspectives (Oxford UniversityPress) and Medical pluralism in contemporary India (Orient Black Swan;co-edited with Leena Abraham).