Applied Medical Anthropology: Praxis, Pragmatics, Politics, and Promises

Applied medical anthropology has roots in the exploration of cultural differences in the common everyday experiences that shape peoples’ lives. This chapter explores the eclectic nature of applied medical anthropology theory, methods, applications, and opportunities. It addresses or exemplifies several important contributions and challenges that applied medical anthropology has contributed to medical anthropology in general and anthropology as a whole. These include the importance of theory in applied medical anthropology as it is challenged by other theoretical viewpoints from other disciplines; the numerous contributions that medical anthropology has made in the development of highly useful research methods while also expanding the methodological tool kits of the other social and biomedical sciences and humanities; examples of the relationship between midrange theory and applied medical anthropology methods; and the important central place of ethics in applied medical anthropology.