Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Sociological Analysis of Unconventional Forms of Healing in Argentina

博士论文研究：阿根廷非常规治疗形式的社会学分析

• 批准号: 0623455
• 负责人: Peter Conrad
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Brandeis University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-01 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0623455&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Sociological; Analysis

SES_0623455PI(s): Peter Conrad Betina FreidinInstitution: Brandeis UniversityThis dissertation research investigates the local construction and experience of unconventional medical knowledge that has migrated cross-nationally by addressing the case of acupuncture practice and consumption in Argentina. Argentina is a particularly relevant national context in which to examine these processes due to medical doctors' long-term incorporation of the therapy, the lack of licensing procedures for non-biomedical practitioners and, since 2001, the legal framework excluding non-physicians from legal practice, which has been contested. The broader goal of the study is to examine the local institutionalization of unconventional medical practices by focusing on how legitimacy, efficacy, and authority are claimed and accomplished by their practitioners and the users' health care seeking experience when encountering acupuncture in various therapeutic environments. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) what are the practitioners' ideologies about how acupuncture should be practiced, (2) how do these commitments inform their professional projects and styles of practice? And given the current professional, legal, and institutional divides in acupuncture practice; (3) how do users make meaning of acupuncture treatments as delivered in diverse therapeutic contexts? and (4) what are their criteria for allocating credibility to practitioners and their treatments? The study employs qualitative methods: open-ended, in-depth interviews with practitioners and users, observations in clinical settings, and analysis of documents. Fieldwork will be conducted in the cities of Buenos Aires and Tucuman, building upon preliminary research carried out in 2005. This dissertation research will illuminate processes of change within the medical profession as well as external challenges to established medical authority in a global context, contributing in this way to the broader fields of medical sociology and the sociologies of knowledge and the professions as well as interdisciplinary debates on cultural globalization. Broader Impact: The results of the study will be disseminated in conferences and academic publications, including English and Spanish language journals. Given the teaching appointment that the researcher will have at the University of Buenos Aires when the study is complete, the study will provide the opportunity to train students in the sociology of CAM, which is not part of the undergraduate program, promoting the enrichment of academic institutions. The study will also contribute to the public debate on unconventional medicines that have been on the rise in the country through publications in widely accessible public media. Given the availability of acupuncture in public services, it will make visible patterns of consumption among lower income users, thus broadening the knowledge about a social group that has been underrepresented in the international literature on the utilization of CAM.

SES_0623455PI(s)：Peter Conrad Betina Freidin 机构：布兰迪斯大学本论文研究通过解决阿根廷的针灸实践和消费案例，调查了跨国迁移的非常规医学知识的当地构建和经验。阿根廷是一个特别适合审查这些流程的国家，因为医生长期将疗法纳入其中，缺乏针对非生物医学从业者的许可程序，而且自 2001 年以来，法律框架将非医生排除在法律执业之外，这一点一直受到争议。该研究的更广泛目标是通过关注从业者如何声称和实现合法性、功效和权威以及用户在各种治疗环境中遇到针灸时的医疗保健寻求经验来检查当地非常规医疗实践的制度化。该研究解决了以下研究问题：（1）从业者对于如何实践针灸的意识形态是什么，（2）这些承诺如何影响他们的专业项目和实践风格？鉴于目前针灸实践中的专业、法律和机构分歧； (3) 用户如何理解不同治疗背景下针灸治疗的意义？ (4) 他们为从业者及其治疗分配可信度的标准是什么？ 该研究采用定性方法：对从业者和用户进行开放式深入访谈、临床环境观察以及文件分析。实地考察将在 2005 年进行的初步研究的基础上在布宜诺斯艾利斯和图库曼市进行。本论文研究将阐明医学专业内部的变革过程以及全球背景下对既定医学权威的外部挑战，从而为更广泛的医学社会学领域、知识和职业社会学以及文化全球化的跨学科辩论做出贡献。更广泛的影响：研究结果将在会议和学术出版物上传播，包括英语和西班牙语期刊。鉴于研究完成后，研究人员将在布宜诺斯艾利斯大学担任教学职务，该研究将为学生提供 CAM 社会学培训的机会，这不属于本科课程的一部分，从而促进学术机构的丰富。该研究还将通过在广泛可访问的公共媒体上发表出版物，为有关该国日益增长的非常规药物的公开辩论做出贡献。鉴于针灸在公共服务中的可用性，它将使低收入用户的消费模式变得可见，从而拓宽有关 CAM 使用国际文献中代表性不足的社会群体的知识。