Critical Medical Anthropology
According to Joralemon (2010), a critical medical anthropologist takes theoretical perspectives in medical anthropology and stresses the importance of political and economic structures.
Critical medical anthropologists differ from applied medical anthropologist because critical medical anthropologist don't work with the group they are focus on to help their situation. They usually work with support groups and governments to help those they are researching. In this book, they work with the hospital to help with the situation with Lia and other Hmong people. One way which critical medical anthropology was applied in the story was later in the book when the hospital finally used Laos speaking interpreters, and allowed for some shamanistic rituals.
In the story, however, there are many times when critical medical anthropology was absent. One example is the people living in Merced that talk negatively about the Hmong people. In the story, when the author goes to visit the Hmong people for the first time, she gets lost. When she gets lost, she goes to ask a local store clerk for directions and the clerk immediately talks down about the Hmong and makes fun of them. In the book, there is also a chapter that talks about how the Hmong were discriminated against in all different parts of the country. Another aspect where critical medical anthropology wasn't present was in the beginning of the book when the Lee's first started visiting the hospital. If the doctors were educated from the beginning, many of the problems that both sides faced would of been avoided. For example, Merced, California is home to the biggest population of Hmong in the U.S., however,many of the doctors working in the hospital were unfamiliar with the Hmong culture, and couldn't speak their language.
According to Joralemon (2010), a critical medical anthropologist takes theoretical perspectives in medical anthropology and stresses the importance of political and economic structures.
Critical medical anthropologists differ from applied medical anthropologist because critical medical anthropologist don't work with the group they are focus on to help their situation. They usually work with support groups and governments to help those they are researching. In this book, they work with the hospital to help with the situation with Lia and other Hmong people. One way which critical medical anthropology was applied in the story was later in the book when the hospital finally used Laos speaking interpreters, and allowed for some shamanistic rituals.
In the story, however, there are many times when critical medical anthropology was absent. One example is the people living in Merced that talk negatively about the Hmong people. In the story, when the author goes to visit the Hmong people for the first time, she gets lost. When she gets lost, she goes to ask a local store clerk for directions and the clerk immediately talks down about the Hmong and makes fun of them. In the book, there is also a chapter that talks about how the Hmong were discriminated against in all different parts of the country. Another aspect where critical medical anthropology wasn't present was in the beginning of the book when the Lee's first started visiting the hospital. If the doctors were educated from the beginning, many of the problems that both sides faced would of been avoided. For example, Merced, California is home to the biggest population of Hmong in the U.S., however,many of the doctors working in the hospital were unfamiliar with the Hmong culture, and couldn't speak their language.