Revitalizing the library for the nation : proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Libraries, Information and Society held on 18-19 April 2019 at Hatten Hotel, Melaka

Organised by: Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya and University of Malaya Library

Brand Kerala: Commodification of Open Source Ayurveda

This dissertation aimed to understand formal and informal ayurvedic knowledge and practice through the framework of commodification, in the context of the recent emergence of global ayurvedic tourism in Kerala, India. The objective was to understand how commodification, both old and new, have affected knowledges and livelihoods of actors constituting the ayurvedic commodity chain, with a focus on `social lives\u27 of ayurvedic pharmaceuticals and select herb-ingredients. I argue that the trajectory of commodification in Kerala provides a stark contrast to the national mainstream with its focus on classical vis-à-vis proprietary medicines. This therapy-centric business model maintained the integrity of traditional ayurvedic practice by keeping the ayurvedic doctor within the loop. I suggest that the new wave of multi-faceted tourism-inspired commodification draws on this strength. This in turn has created a paradigmatic shift in the way ayurveda is commodified locally and globally, by switching focus from `pharmaceuticals\u27 to `services\u27, and `illness\u27 to `wellness\u27. I suggest that conceptualizing classical medicines as `open-source commodities\u27, brings attention to the significance of background knowledge processes. While distinct stakeholder characteristics and historic State patronage are significant factors, at the root of the commercial viability of open-source-ayurveda, I argue, is the continuity of a cultural practice, the robustness of it I attribute to its historical evolution in Kerala as a mass commodity in contrast to its elitist status elsewhere. However, industrialization threatens the traditional role of knowledge-intensive actors: doctors, consumers, raw drug shops and medicinal plant collectors. I argue that the industry\u27s role is contributory rather than causal; more significant in endangering ayurvedic metis are effects of modern institutionalization shaped by goals of homogenization and scientization. Discussing the nature of deskilling each node has undergone, I demonstrate the significance of `cultural stakes\u27 in the conservation of common property resources that are more often that not at loggerheads with `economic stakes\u27. The arguments in this dissertation are built over and contribute to three bodies of anthropological research: economic anthropology engaged in the study of commodities and commodification processes, ecological anthropology concerned with conservation of common property resources, and medical anthropology concerned with study of medical systems and pharmaceuticals

An exploration of the cultural context and consequences of perceptions of illness and health-seeking behaviour of the Baloch

Human beliefs about health and illness structure the explanations for health and illness in a society and these explanations rationalise preventive or therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this research was to discover, identify and understand the perceptions of health, illness and health seeking behaviour of the Baloch people in a cultural perspective. More specifically, it was to document their perception regarding the origin and cause of illness and disease as revealed in their system of disease-classification and their etiological categories. It was also to describe the context in which Baloch access the traditional health care system as well as conventional health care. Participant observations and in-depth interviews were the tools for data collection in this ethnographic study. Four districts of Pakistani Balochistan were selected for fieldwork. Traditional or folk healers of different categories, medical professionals, sufferers, family heads, community elders, tribal chiefs and medical doctors were interviewed in depth during fieldwork and many socio-cultural phenomena and ritual healing practices were participated in and observed. It was observed that Baloch beliefs regarding health and illness revolve either on the concept of natural causes that are mainly due to humoral imbalance or supernatural causes: spirit possession, sorcery or evil eye. In contemporary Balochistan, despite the availability of the basic health care system in the majority of Baloch settlements, for all practical purposes, Baloch use their traditional medical practices alongside biomedicine. These medical practices mainly consist of herbal remedies and spiritual healing practices. Folk medical beliefs are inseparable from other elements of Baloch cultural life and in this context health planners and medical practitioners in Balochistan, mutually can do much to balance and integrate biomedicine and folk and traditional medicine. Working together, they can optimise the benefits for their client populations