Critical Medical Anthropology
Critical medical anthropology "is the theoretical perspective in medical anthropology which stresses the importance of political and economic structure, especially global capitalism, on the health of human populations" (Joralemon, 2010, p.137). Critical medical anthropology asks how the distribution of wealth, power, and the division of labor affect the disease patterns and health care access? Critical medical anthropologist Merrill Singer (1989), Nancy Scheper-Hughes (1990) and Han Baer (1993) are not big fans of applied medical anthropology. " They warn that the applied medical anthropologist merely help extend the physicians ability to control his/ her patients and to depoliticize health problems by treating them as individual rather than a social problem.
Merrill Singer describes challenging applied medical anthropology with "critically applied medical anthropology", "which unapologetically confronts medical teachers, and practitioners with evidence of the political and economic interest in bio medicine" (Joralemon, 2010, p 98-99). According to Joralemon "this approach would adopt an explicit advocacy role for patients and would bear a wider social analysis to disease" (pg. 99). However, in order to obtain this result critically applied anthropologist would, "need to work with labor unions, women's health collectives, ethnic community organizations,self-care groups, etc.." (Baer 1993: 311). "They would help to document and work to reverse the health problems associated with environmental pollution, occupational hazards and poor living conditions" (Joralemon, 2010:99)
Merrill Singer describes challenging applied medical anthropology with "critically applied medical anthropology", "which unapologetically confronts medical teachers, and practitioners with evidence of the political and economic interest in bio medicine" (Joralemon, 2010, p 98-99). According to Joralemon "this approach would adopt an explicit advocacy role for patients and would bear a wider social analysis to disease" (pg. 99). However, in order to obtain this result critically applied anthropologist would, "need to work with labor unions, women's health collectives, ethnic community organizations,self-care groups, etc.." (Baer 1993: 311). "They would help to document and work to reverse the health problems associated with environmental pollution, occupational hazards and poor living conditions" (Joralemon, 2010:99)