Science and Technology Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Session Submission Type: Traditional (Closed) Panel

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has not only become increasingly popular and frequently used by the general population in western societies; it is also a field undergoing various forms of professionalization and integration in conventional health care. CAM is also developing as a scientific (sub) field, in terms of peer-reviewed articles, clinical trials, and establishment of CAM journals, research centers and other scientific forums. However, none of these processes are straightforward or without conflicts. The medical and scientific legitimacy of CAM is often controversial and contested. This panel is devoted to STS perspectives on CAM, for example, concerning knowledge production, organization, professionalization, standardization, globalization, and material practices. The panel is open to qualitative, quantitative, as well as theoretical papers.

Sub Unit

• 4S Annual Meeting

Chair

• Jenny-Ann Brodin Danell, Umeå university, Department of Sociology

Individual Presentations

• Researching the Auscultation of Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Perspective of Local Knowledge - QIUSHI XU, Tsinghua University

• Translation and Negotiation of Complementary Medicine in the European Union - Jenny-Ann Brodin Danell, Umeå university, Department of Sociology

• What’s in a Name? A Boundary Work Analysis of the Controversy over University Homeopathy Education - Elizabeth Caldwell, University of Huddersfield