Recently, A. David Napier and colleagues published their executive summary from The Lancet Commission on Culture and Health (The Lancet, Volume 384, Issue 9954, pp. 1607-1639, 1 November 2014). They write:
“This Commission is the first ever detailed appraisal of the role of culture in health, bringing together voices from different fields, including anthropologists, social scientists, and …
Welcome to our inaugural “Book Forum.” Our aim is simple: to promote lively exchange between a group of scholars and an author, allowing for experimental and inventive engagements that are not so much about evaluation but rather draw on concepts and shared commitments. It’s probably worth noting that Somatosphere will continue to feature book reviews, which have been a mainstay …
[Chagas disease in Argentina. Scientific research, social problems and health policies]
Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Argentina. 2010. 360 pages.
“Mal de Chagas” is a disease that affects 2.5 million people in Argentina and 8 million in Latin America. Caused by the parasite …
Global Health in Times of Violence
Edited by Barbara Rylko-Bauer, Linda Whiteford and Paul Farmer
SAR Press, 2009, 304 pages
Global Heath in Times of Violence is a fantastic book that belongs on the syllabus of every medical anthropology and global health course, particularly those focusing on the social determinants of health. This volume, edited by Barbara Rylko-Bauer, …
A Commentary on Angela Garcia’s The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession along the Rio Grande
University of California Press, 2010
264 pp., US$ 28.95 (paperback)
In his sprawling and widely lauded novel Infinite Jest, the late David Foster Wallace offers a riveting portrait of modern addiction. Scenes of the banality of Twelve-Step programs drew on Wallace’s own experiences in …
In recent years, the criminalization of HIV transmission, exposure and non-disclosure has become a hot topic among those working within the global AIDS milieu. Social scientists have become increasingly attentive to the complex and varied consequences and impacts of HIV criminalization. Not surprisingly, at this year’s Association of the Social Science and Humanities on HIV (ASSHH) Conference there was a …