WORKSHOP: Medical Pluralism in Multicultural California

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Dr. Matthew Wolf-Meyer and Dr. Nancy Chen, both of the Department of Anthropology at the University of California-Santa Cruz, will convene two linked workshops, one in Santa Cruz and the other in Los Angeles. At each of these workshops they will bring together researchers whose work informs understanding of the contemporary practice and experiences of medical pluralism in the United States. Medical pluralism refers to the coexistance of different medical systems in a single societal context. While most previous research on medical pluralism has been on the extension of allopathic or western medicine into non-western societies, Wolf-Meyer and Chen will focus their workshops on consumer choice in contemporary western, market-driven contexts. Because of its long tradition of diverse immigration and multiple established medical treatment options, California is a particularly apt site for this undertaking. The outcome of the workshop will be a special issue of a professional journal on medical pluralism in the United States, and the establishment of a network of researchers who can pool their collective knowledge and resources for future research, grant applications, and publications.