HI34i:Medicine,EmpireandtheBody
ModuleHandbook2016-2017
ModuleLeader
DrEliseSmith
Office
RoomH3.08,3rdflooroftheHumanitiesBuilding
Email
[email protected]
OfficeHours
Wednesday,10-11andThursday2-3
Seminar
Time/Location
Wednesdays,11am-1pm,H3.02(HumanitiesBuilding)
1
Description:
Thismoduleexploresthefundamentaltransformationinattitudesabouthealthandthebodyin
theageofEuropeanimperialexpansion.Focusingontheperiod1750to1914,itexamineshow
encounterswithunfamiliarbodiesanddiseasesledEuropeanstorethinkboththetheoryand
practiceofmedicine,andthenatureofhumandiversity.Fromweektoweek,wewillseehow
suchideasweredeeplyintertwined:fromthemid-eighteenthcenturyonwards,European
medicalpractitionersquestionedwhethertheconstitutionoftheircountrymenfundamentally
differedfromtheindigenousinhabitantsofthewiderworld,renderingsomemoreproneto
diseaseanddegenerationthanothers.Bythenineteenthcentury,theseideashardenedintothe
scientificracismthatnotonlyheldthesuperiorityofEuropeansovernon-Europeans,but,as
partofnaturalselection,the‘extinction’ofpopulationsweakenedbyhighmortalityratesafter
decadesofviolence,sickness,anddisplacement.Fueledbynewgenetictheories,Europeans
cametotreatintermixingwithnativepopulationsasdangeroustotheirownracialsurvival.
Despitetheprevalenceofsexualencountersbetweencolonisersandthecolonised,racialmixing
remainedatransgressiveact.
Asthismodulewilldemonstrate,oncegeopolitcalambitionsledtoEuropean(andAmerican)
controlovervasttractsofland,theproblemofadaptingtowarmclimatesinwhichdiseases
suchasmalariaandyellowfeverflourished,grewmoreurgent.Tropicalmedicinewasbornto
addressthelethalenvironmentsofAfrica,SouthAsia,andtheCaribbean,withtheaimoffinding
remediesthatwouldensurecontinuedimperialdomination.Europeanhelplessnessintheface
ofsuchscourgesledtorenewedquestioningoftheEuropeans’ownvigour.Theissueof
differencepreoccupiedmedicalandanthropologicalthoughtyetagain.Studentswilltherefore
learnthatnotionsofrace,health,anddifferencesamongpeoplesevolvedovertime,driven
bothbycircumstancesandbytheoriesthatsoughttorationalisethem.
LearningOutcomes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Toevaluateandcritiquetheroleofnaturalknowledgeintheproductionofimperial
ideologybetween1750and1914.
Toexplainhownotionsaboutrace,health,andhumandifferencewereconceptualized
andrationalisedagainstthebackdropofEuropeanimperialism.
Toanalyseandcomparedifferenttypesofsources,andenhancetheirabilitytodevelop
ahistoricalargument.
Toengagewithhistoriographicaldebatesandthinkaboutthehistoryandlegacyof
differenthistoricalconcepts.
Tounderstandhowimperial,medicalandscientifichistorycanbeaccessedthrougha
diverserangeoftextual,visual,andmaterialsources.
Toencourageindependentresearch,historiographicalengagement,andthe
developmentofcriticalanalysis.
TeachingMethods:
‘Medicine,Empire,andtheBody’istaughtviaweeklytwo-hourseminars.Studentswillselect
~3-4readingseachweektofocuson,andduringmeetingswillbepreparedtodiscussand
analysethesetexts.Startinginthesecondweek,studentswillworkinpairstointroducethe
weeklytopicsthrougha15-minutepresentation.Inadditiontothegeneraldiscussions,
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studentswillbeoccasionallybeaskedtointerpretprimarysourceswithintheframeworkofthat
week’stopic.Inweeks10and15,wewillhavehalf-sessionsdevotedtodevelopingresearch
andwritingskills.
PresentationGuidance:
Studentswillworkasteamsoftwotocoverthefollowingpointsabouttherequiredreadingsin
ashort(15-minute)presentationeachweek:
-Whowrotethetexts,andwhathistoricalapproachcanyouidentifyintheirwork?(e.g.
postcolonial,feminist,revisionist,orsocial/cultural/economic/political/etcinfocus)?
-Whatdoyouthinktheirmainargumentis?*Bebrief!
-Dothevariousreadingsagree/disagreewitheachotherinanyfundamentalway?Why
orwhynot?
-Whichevidence/arguments/interpretationsdidyoufindmostpersuasive?
-Didyoufindanyofthereadingscontroversialorsurprising(incontentor
interpretation)?
-Questionstopromptdiscussion(youcanrefertotheexistinglistforeachtopic,but
alsobepreparedtosupplementsomediscussionpointsofyourown—thisisanopportunityto
shapethediscussionaroundthethemesyoufoundmostthought-provoking)
**You’reencouragedtousepowerpoints,handouts,oranyotheraid(althoughthesearenota
requirement).Pleaseseemeifyouhaveanyquestionsorwouldlikefurtherguidancein
advanceofyourpresentation.
WorkloadandAssessment:
Departmentalguidanceontheassessmentandsubmissionofformalassignmentscanbefound
here:http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/assessment/
Thispagewillberegardedasdefinitive,astheinformationpresentedbelowmaybesubjectto
change.
Non-assessedassignments:
Studentswillsubmitthreenon-assessedwrittenassignments.Oneofthesemustbeastandard
1500-wordessayrelatingtoadiscussionquestionlistedforeachweeklytopic,oronanoriginal
topic(thatmustbeapprovedbymeinadvance).Thetwoadditionalassignmentscaneitherbe
standardessaysorchosenfromthefollowingformats:
1. PrimarySourceAnalysis:1500-wordessayonamedicaloranthropologicalsource(it
couldbeabook/journalarticle/image/object/film),puttingitintohistoricalcontext,and
describingitssignificancetothehistoryofscience,medicine,andempire.Allsources
mustbeapprovedbymeinadvance.Icanhelpyoulocateasuitablesourceifneeded.
2. BookReview:1500-wordcriticalreviewofabook(chosenfromthemodulereading
lists),thatanalysesitskeyargumentsandapproaches,andrelatesitsfindingstocore
conceptsandreadingscoveredinthismodule.Pleaseconfirmchosenselectionwith
meinadvance.
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Onenon-assessedassignmentmustbesubmittedbyThursdayat5pm,Week8,Term1;the
secondmustbesubmittedbyThursdayat5pm,Week4,Term2;andthefinalnon-assessed
assignmentwillbedueinThursdayat5pm,Week9,Term2.
AssessedWork:
Summary:
Model1:ForstudentsNOTlinkingtheirdissertationswiththismodule:a4,500wordessay(due
Week10ofTerm2),anda2-hourexamination(SummerTerm)
OR
Model2:Forstudentslinkingtheirdissertationwiththismodule,the~9,000worddissertation
(dueWeek1ofSummerTerm),anda3-hourexamination(SummerTerm)
Long-essaytitlesmaybetakenfromseminardiscussionquestions,oryoumayformulateyour
owntitle.Ineithercase,youmustsubmitthetitletomeforapprovalnolaterthanTerm2,
Week5.
DissertationtopicsandtitlesshouldbediscussedwithmenolaterthanWeek8ofTerm1.
AdissertationseminargroupwillmeetregularlyduringTerm2(timesTBA),andwillgiveyoua
chancetodiscussyourideasandprogress,aswellastheresearchandwritingprocess.
*****
Notethatoverlapsincontentbetweendifferentpiecesofassessedworkarenotpermissible
andwillbepenalized.Assessedworkshouldnotre-usenon-assessedwork.
*****
ANoteonDissertations:
Forstudentsconsideringtowritetheirdissertationsinconjunctionwiththismodule,please
comeanddiscusspossibletopicsandapproacheswithmeearlyinTerm1andbeforeyou
chooseyourtitles,Week8Term1.Giventheavailableresources,notalltopicsmaybefeasible,
soit’simportanttoensurethatthetopicsyouchoosehavearealisticscopeandfocus.
Seealso:http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/modules/dissertation
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SeminarCalendar
Term
Autumn
Term
Spring
Term
Summer
Term
Week
Topic
1
Introduction:ScienceandEmpire
2
TheColumbianExchange
3
FirstEncountersandtheOriginsofAnthropology
4
MedicinalPlantsI:Exploration
5
MedicinalPlantsII:Exploitation
6
ReadingWeek–NoSeminar
7
DiseaseandtheEnvironment
8
DifferenceonDisplay
(1 non-assessedessaydue)
9
EvolutionandAnthropology
st
10
RacialScience/ResearchWorkshop
11
DepictingtheIrish
12
ColonialMedicineinSouthAsia
13
TheControloftheCaribbean
14
ThePacificChallenge
(2 non-assessedessaydue)
15
SettlingAfrica/WritingWorkshop
16
ReadingWeek-noseminar
17
TheoriesofRacial‘Extinction’
18
TropicalMedicine
(3 non-assessedessaydue)
19
Sexuality,GenderandEmpire
20
MedicalColonisation
(Assessedlongessaydue)
21
Revision
(Dissertationdue)
22
Revision(Examdatetofollow)
nd
rd
5
WeeklyMeetingsandReadings
Foreachsessionyoushouldchoose~3-4optionsamongstthe‘backgroundreadings’and
‘requiredreadings’sections,althoughonemustbetheselectionmarkedbytwoasterisks(**).
The‘backgroundreadings’arealltakenfromPratikChakrabarti’sMedicineandEmpire,16001960(Basingstoke,2014),whichisakeytextforthismodule.Itisavailableforpurchasefrom
thebookstoreandthroughthelibrary.Notethatnotallsessionshavea‘backgroundreading’,
butforthosethatdo,it’sagoodplacetostart:itwillprovideyouwithanoverviewofthetopic
(includingkeyconceptsandhistoriographicalissues).Allrequiredreadingsareavailableonline,
eitheraslinkeddigitizedselections,orthroughe-booksande-journals(throughthelibrary
catalogue).Pleaseletmeknowifyouhaveanyproblemsaccessinganyofthereadings.
*Youmayalsosubstitutea‘requiredreading’withachapter/articlefromthe‘furtherreading’
list,ifyouhaveaparticulargeographic/temporal/topicalfocusthatyouwishtodevelopfurther.
**N.B.Theremaybeminorchangestotherequiredreadingslistedbelow,whichIwillinformyou
ofinseminarsandbyemail,andwhichwillbeaddedtothewebsite.
Week1:ScienceandEmpire
Thissessionwillintroducetheoverarchingthemesofthemodule,andwillconsidersomeofthe
frameworksthathavebeenusedtoconsidertheroleofscientificandmedicalpracticesinthe
historyofEuropeanimperialexpansion.Wewilllookathowthesetopicshavebeencovered
sincethemid-twentiethcentury,andhowchanginghistoricalapproacheshaveinformedthe
growingscholarshipinthisfield.Keyconceptsinmedicalhistory,environmentalhistory,and
globalhistorywillbereviewedasweevaluatethemainareasofinteractioncoveredbythis
module.Inparticular,we’llconsiderhowthehistoryofimperialismandcolonisationchallenges
someoftheprogressivenarrativesordinarilyassociatedwiththespreadandgrowthofscientific
knowledge.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Whyhavescienceandmedicinebeenconsidered‘toolsofempire’?
-Whatkeyshiftshavecharacterizedthehistoriographyofimperialmedicine?
-InwhatwaysdidglobalencounterschallengeexistingEuropeanmedicalmodels?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Introduction’,pp.ixxxxiv
RequiredReadings:
**DavidArnold,‘MedicineandColonialism’inWFBynumandRoyPorter(eds.),Companion
EncyclopediaoftheHistoryofMedicine,vol2(London,1993),pp.1393-1416
*GeorgeBasalla,‘TheSpreadofWesternScience’,Science156(1967),pp.611-622.
*JosephM.Hodge,‘ScienceandEmpire:AnOverviewoftheHistoricalScholarship,’inBrettM.
BennettandJosephM.Hodge(eds.),ScienceandEmpire:KnowledgeandNetworksofScience
AcrosstheBritishEmpire,1800-1970(Basingstoke,2011),pp.3-29
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*ShulaMarks,‘WhatisColonialaboutColonialMedicine?AndWhathasHappenedto
ImperialismandHealth?’,SocialHistoryofMedicine10(1997),205-219
Week2:TheColumbianExchange
EuropeanexpansionintotheNewWorldprecipitatedamassivedepopulationoftheoriginal
inhabitantsoftheAmericas.Inhisinfluentialwork,TheColumbianExchange(1972),AlfredW.
Crosbyexploredthebiologicalfactorsunderlyingthisdecline,particularlyexploringtheroleof
diseaseasanaccompanimenttoimperialism.Insubsequentdecades,Crosby’sthesishasbeen
debatedbyhistoriansofmedicine,empire,andtheenvironment—aswellasmodern
epidemiologists—allofwhomhavesoughttoexplaintheimpactofEuropeandiseasesonthe
‘virginsoilpopulations’oftheAmericas.Throughareviewoftheseapproaches,wewillcompare
currentmedicalunderstandingsofthe‘ColumbianExchange’withhistoricalperspectiveson
indigenousandEuropeanhealth.Intheprocess,we’llconsiderhowdecisivearolediseasessuch
assmallpoxplayedinshapingimperialhistory.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Towhatextentisitpossibletoestimatetheimpactofimperialepidemicsonindigenous
populations?
-HowdidEuropeansexplainnativesusceptibilitytodisease?
-Whyhassmallpoxbeenportrayedasa‘weapon’ofimperialismintheAmericas?
-Howusefularemodernmedicaltheories(eg.aboutimmunity)inexplaininghistoricalevents
suchastheconquestoftheAmericas?Isthisapproachanachronistic?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),pp.73-78.
RequiredReadings:
*FrancisBrooks,‘TheImpactofDisease’inGeorgeRaduzens(ed.),Technology,Diseaseand
ColonialConquests,SixteenthtoEighteenthCenturies(Leiden,2001),pp.127-166
**AlfredW.Crosby,TheColumbianExchangeBiologicalandCulturalConsequencesof1492
(Westport,1972),esp.'Ch.2:ConquistadoryPestilencia',pp.35-63
*W.G.Lovell,‘HeavyShadowsandBlackNight:DiseaseandDepopulationinColonialSpanish
America,’AnnalsoftheAssociationofAmericanGeographers82(1992),426-443.
*N.NunnandN.Qian,‘TheColumbianExchange:AHistoryofDisease,Food,andIdeas’,Journal
ofEconomicPerspectives24(2010),pp.163-88.
*M.Livi-Bacci,‘TheDepopulationofHispanicAmericaaftertheConquest’,Populationand
DevelopmentReview32(2004),199-232.
*W.H.McNeill,PlaguesandPeoples(NewYork,1976),'Ch.V:TransoceanicExchanges,15001700',pp.208-241
Week3:FirstEncountersandtheOriginsofAnthropology
Asexploratoryvoyagesledtoconquestandcolonization,Europeanswerebroughtinto
sustainedcontactwithnon-Europeans.Theseencounterswithdifferentpopulationgroupswere
interpretedwithintheEnlightenmentimpulseforclassification,leadingtoeffortstodescribe
andcategorisehumanvariation.Inthissession,we’lllookathowtheseencountersshaped
perceptionsofcolonizedpeoplesintheeighteenthcentury,leadingtoavarietyofconflicting
narrativesaboutthenatureandmeaningof‘race’.
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DiscussionQuestions:
-WhydidabiologicalconceptofraceemergeintheEnlightenment?
-Whatroledidtheslavetradeplayinshapingracialideology?
-Waseighteenth-centuryracialtheorymoreconcernedwithclassifyingdifferences,orwith
establishingracialhierarchies?
-Whatstereotypesaboutnon-Europeanpeoplesemergedintheeighteenthcentury?
RequiredReadings:
*I.C.Campbell,‘SavagesNobleandIgnoble:thePreconceptionsofEarlyEuropeanVoyagesin
Polynesia,’PacificStudies,4(1980),pp.45-59
*JohnGascoigne,‘TheRoyalSociety,NaturalHistoryandthePeoplesofthe“NewWorld(s)”,
1660–1800’,BritishJournalfortheHistoryofScience42(2009),539-562
*IvanHannaford:Race:TheHistoryofanIdeaintheWest(Washington,1996),‘Ch.7:TheFirst
StageintheDevelopmentofanIdeaofRace,1684-1815,’pp.187-234.
**NicholasHudson,‘From“Nation”to“Race”:TheOriginofRacialClassificationinEighteenthCenturyThought’,Eighteenth-CenturyStudies,29(1996).247-64.
*JenniferL.Morgan,‘SomeCouldSuckleoverTheirShoulder’:MaleTravelers,FemaleBodies,
andtheGenderingofRacialIdeology,1500-1770’,TheWilliamandMaryQuarterly,3rdSeries54
(1997),pp.167-192
*LondaSchiebinger,‘Theanatomyofdifference:raceandsexineighteenth-centuryscience’,
Eighteenth-CenturyStudies,23(1990),387-405.
Week4:MedicinalPlantsI—Exploration
ExpansionintonewterritoriesofferedampleopportunityforEuropeannaturalhistoriansto
encounternewspeciesoffloraandfauna.Thesediscoveriescontributedtothesenseofwonder
thatsuchunfamiliarenvironmentsinspired,andpromptednaturaliststoreconsiderthelimitsof
creation.Severalplantsfromthenewcolonieswereintegratedintotheexistingmaterialmedica
(pharmaceuticals),withsome—suchasquinine—provingparticularlyuseful.Inthissessionwe’ll
examinehowbotanicalexplorationtransformedEuropeanmedicinefromtheRenaissance
onwards.
DiscussionQuestions:
-HowdidindigenousknowledgeandpracticeshapeEuropeannotionsofthemedicinalplants
discoveredintheNewWorld?
-Didthediscoveryofnewspeciesaffectexistingapproachestothestudyofnaturalhistory?
-TowhatextentwasEuropeanmedicinechangedbytheintroductionofnewmedicinalplants
fromthecolonies?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.2:Plants,
MedicineandEmpire,’pp.20-39
RequiredReadings:
*DanielaBleichmar,'AtlanticCompetitions:BotanyintheEighteenth-CenturySpanishEmpire,'
inJamesDelbourgoandNicolasDew(eds.),ScienceandEmpireintheAtlanticWorld(NewYork,
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2007),pp.225-252[e-book]
**HaroldJ.Cook,‘PhysiciansandNaturalHistory,’inNickJardineetal(eds),CulturesofNatural
History(1996),pp.91-105.
*VictoriaDickenson,‘Cartier,Champlain,andtheFruitsoftheNewWorld:BotanicalExchangein
the16thand17thCenturies,ScientiaCanadensis31(2008),27-47
*TeresaHuguet-Termes,'NewWorldMateriaMedicainSpnanishRenaissanceMedicine:From
ScholarlyReceptiontoPracticalImpact,'MedicalHistory45(2001),359-376.
*J.WorthEstes,'TheEuropeanReceptionoftheFirstDrugsfromtheNewWorld,'Pharmacyin
History37(1995),3-23
Week5:MedicinalPlantsII—Exploitation
ThemedicalpotentialofmanyofthenewbotanicaldiscoveredinEurope’scoloniesledtotheir
activecultivationstartingintheseventeenthcentury.Gardensandplantationswereestablished
acrosstheglobetothisend,producingbotanicalsforsaleandtrade.TheintroductionofNew
WorldmateriamedicatotheOldWorldwaslucrative,asthemedicalmarketplaceexpandedto
includenewtreatments.Inthissession,we’llexaminehowimperialtraderoutes,networks,and
commercefacilitatedthespreadofmedicinalplants,andenabledEuropeanstoexploitthe
naturalenvironmentsoftheirnewterritories.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Whatroledidbotanicalgardens(suchasKewandtheJardindesplantes)playinfacilitatingthe
spreadofnewmedicinalplants?
-BywhatprocesseswereEuropeansabletoprofitfromthediscoveryofmaterialmedicafound
intheircolonies?Whatroledidtheenvironmentoftheircoloniesplayinmaximizingthe
commercialpotentialoftheirbotanicaloutputs?
-Howdidbotanicalcultivationhelpconsolidatethe'usefulness'ofEurope'scolonies?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.1:Medicineinthe
AgeofCommerce,1600-1800,’pp.1-19.
RequiredReadings:
*LucileBrockway,‘ScienceandColonialExpansion:TheRoleoftheBritishRoyalBotanicGarden’,
AmericanEthnologist6,3(1979),449-465
*PaulaDeVos,‘TheScienceofSpices:EmpiricismandEconomicBotanyintheEarlySpanish
Empire’,JournalofWorldHistory17(2006),399-427
**LondaSchiebinger,PlantsandEmpire:ColonialBioprospectingintheAtlanticWorld
(Cambridge,2004),‘Ch.2:Bioprospecting,’pp.73-104
*EmmaSpary,‘OfNutmegsandBotanists:TheColonialCultivationofBotanicalIdentity,’in
LondaSchiebingerandClaudiaSwan(eds.),ColonialBotany:Science,Commerce,andPoliticsin
theEarlyModernWorld(Philadelphia,2007),pp.187-203
*LarryStewart,‘GlobalPillage:Science,Commerce,andEmpire,’inRoyPorter(ed.),The
CambridgeHistoryofScience,Vol4:TheEighteenthCentury(Cambridge,2003),pp.825-844
Week7:DiseaseandtheEnvironment
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HighlevelsofmorbidityandmortalityaccompaniedtheEuropeancolonizationofthetropics,
promptingthemtoquestiontheirabilitytosuccessfullysettleinadifferentenvironment.These
ideasfedintocontemporaryracialtheory,as‘polygenists’increasinglypositedthatdifferent
racesweredifferentspeciesuniquelyadaptedtotheiroriginalenvironments.‘Monogenists’,on
theotherhand,believedinaprocessofacclimatizationovertime,suggestingthatEuropeans
couldeventuallythriveinthetropics.Theseideasweretestedoutinthecoloniesasphysicians
chartedtheeffectsonwarmclimatesonthebodiesofbothEuropeansandnon-Europeans,as
thetwogroupsnegotiatedtheirrelationstooneanother.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Howdidmonogenist/polygenisttheoryinfluencemedicine?
-TowhatextentdidEuropeansbelieveitwaspossibleforthemtosurviveandflourishintropical
climates?
-Whydidclimateandenvironmentbecomecentraltomedicaltheoryintheeighteenthcentury?
-Towhatextentwas‘acclimitisation’abehaviouralprocessratherthanjusta
physical/physiologicalone?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.4:Colonialism,
ClimateandRace,’pp.57-72.
RequiredReadings:
*MarkHarrison,‘“TheTenderFrameofMan”:Disease,Climate,andRacialDifferenceinIndia
andtheWestIndies,1760-1860’BulletinoftheHistoryofMedicine70(1996),68-93.
*DaneKennedy,‘ThePerilsoftheMiddaySun:ClimaticAnxietiesintheColonialTropics,’inJohn
M.MacKenzie(ed.)ImperialismandtheNaturalWorld(Manchester,1990),pp.118-140
*KarenOrdahlKupperman,‘FearofHotClimatesintheAnglo-AmericanColonialExperience,’
TheWilliamandMaryQuarterly41(1984),pp.213-240
**DavidLivingstone,‘HumanAcclimatisation:PerspectivesonaContestedFieldofInquiryin
Science,Medicine,andGeography,’HistoryofScience25(1987),359-394
*MichaelA.Osborne,‘AcclimatizingtheWorld:AHistoryoftheParadigmaticColonialScience,’
Osiris15(2000),pp.135-151
Week8:DifferenceonDisplay
Asthereachofempiresexpandedinthenineteenthcentury,metropolitancuriositygrewabout
themyriadpeoplesandculturesnowsubjecttoEuropeanrule.Whileimagesofdifferent‘ethnic
types’hadlongbeencirculated,therewasnowanincreasedappetiteforentertainmentsthat
fedintonotionsofthe‘primitive’,‘savage’,and‘exotic’,spurringthemovementofartifacts,
humanremains—andhumansthemselves—toEuropefordisplay.Inparticular,ethnological
showsofferedspectatorsachancetowatchforeignpeoplesenactaspectsoftheirculture,
makingaperformanceofracialdifference.Inthissession,wewillexaminehowsuch
entertainmentshelpedtoconsolidatethesensethatnon-Europeanswerefundamentally
dissimilartoEuropeansinbothbodyandmind.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Whataccountsforthepopularityof‘racial’entertainmentsinthelatenineteenth/early
twentiethcenturies?
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-Towhatextentdidpopulardisplaysofracialdifferenceconveycontemporaryscientificthinking
aboutbiologicalvariation?
-Howdidethnologicalshowsshapepopularideasaboutrace?
-DidracialexhibitionsinEuropehelptojustifyimperialism?
RequiredReadings:
*PascalBlanchard,GillesBoetsch,EricDerooandSandrineLemaire'Introduction:HumanZoos:
TheGreatestExoticShowsintheWest,'inPascalBlanchardetal(eds.),HumanZoos:Science
andSpectacleintheAgeofColonialEmpires(Liverpool,2008),pp.1-49
*JanNederveenPieterse,WhiteonBlack:ImagesofAfricaandBlacksinWesternPopular
Culture(NewHaven,1992),‘Ch.5:ColonialismandWesternPopularCulture’,pp.76-101
**SadiahQureshi,PeoplesonParade:Exhibitions,Empire,andAnthropologyinNineteenthCenturyBritain(Chicago,2011)Ch.6‘Transforming‘UnfruitfulWonder’”,pp.185-221
*LondaSchiebinger,Nature’sBody:GenderintheMakingofModernScience(Boston,1993),‘Ch.
5:TheoriesofGenderandRace,’pp.143-183
*AndrewZimmerman,AnthropologyandAntihumanisminImperialGermany(Chicago,2001),
‘Ch.1:ExoticSpectaclesandtheGlobalContextofGermanAnthropology,’pp.15-27
Week9:EvolutionandAnthropology
Inthemid-nineteenthcentury,ethnologyandanthropology(termsoftenusedinterchangeably)
begantoassumeamoreformaldisciplinarycharacter,withsocieties,meetingsandjournals
sproutingupacrosstheglobe.Thesefieldswereconcernedwiththenatureofhumandifference,
althoughtherewassomedisagreementoverwhethersuchstudiesshouldbemorephysicalor
culturalinorientation.Althoughbiologicalstudiesofracetookcenterstage,disputesbetween
monogenistsandpolygenistsovertheimplicationsofracialdifferencecontinuedintothisperiod.
WiththepublicationofDarwin’sOriginofSpeciesin1859,thenewtheoryofevolutionseeped
intothesedebates.WhileDarwinarguedforthefundamentalunityofthehumanspecies,his
ideaswereusedtojustifythenotionthatsomeracesweremoreevolvedthanothers—leading
toanewbiologicaljustificationforthecreationofhumanhierarchies.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Whydidinstitutionalanthropologyemergeinthemid-nineteenthcentury?
-TowhatextentdidDarwinianideastransformanthropologicaltheory?
-HowdidDarwin’sownexperienceswithforeignpeoplesinformhisviewsonhumanevolution
andracialdifference?
RequiredReadings:
Primary:
**CharlesDarwin,DescentofMan,Vol.1(London,1871)'Ch.7:OntheRacesofMan',pp.214250
Secondary:
**PeterBowler,‘From“Savage”to“Primitive”:VictorianEvolutionismandtheInterpretationof
MarginalizedPeoples’,Antiquity,66(1992),721-729.
*ThomasF.Glick,‘TheAnthropologyofRaceAcrosstheDarwinianRevolution’,inHenrika
Kuklick(ed.),ANewHistoryofAnthropology(Oxford,2008),pp.225-241
*GeorgeW.StockingJr.,VictorianAnthropology(NewYork,1987),‘Ch.7:EvolutionaryIdeas
andAnthropologicalInstitutions(1835-1890)',pp.238-273
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*SujitSivasundaram,‘Race,EmpireandBiologyBeforeDarwinism,”inNumbersandAlexander,
(eds.)BiologyandIdeology:FromDescartestoDawkins(Chicago:2010),pp.114-138
Week10:RacialScience
Whileweconsideredthetheoryunderlyingscientificracismlastweek,thisweekwewill
examinethepracticeofracialscience.Whatevidencedidanthropologistsharnesstomake
claimsabouthumanvariationandhierarchies?Whattoolsandmethodologiesdidthey
incorporateintotheirresearchintheattempttomakeitseemas‘objective’aspossible?In
examininghowanthropologistssoughttostudyrace‘scientifically’,wewillconsiderhow
effectivelytheywereabletojustifyideasaboutracialsuperiorityandinferiority.
DiscussionQuestions:
--Whydidtheskullbecometheprimaryfocusofracialanthropologyinthenineteenthcentury?
-WhatroledidmeasurementplayinVictorianracialscience?
-Whileracialscienceisnowconsideredpseudo-scientific,towhatextentwasitconsidereda
legitimatefieldofscientificenquiryinthenineteenthcentury?
RequiredReadings:
*Curtin,Philip.D.,‘“Scientific”RacismandtheBritishTheoryofEmpire’,JournaloftheHistorical
SocietyofNigeria,2(1960),40-51.
*StephenJayGould,TheMismeasureofMan(2ndedn.London,1996),‘Chapter3:Measuring
Heads,’pp.105-141
**PaulJorion,‘TheDownfalloftheSkull,’RAIN48(1982),pp.8-11
*MichaelKeevak,BecomingYellow:AShortHistoryofRacialThinking(Princeton,2011),‘Ch3:
Nineteenth-CenturyAnthropologyandtheMeasurementof‘Mongolian’SkinColour,’pp.70-100
*Stepan,Nancy,TheIdeaofRaceinScience:GreatBritain,1800-1960(London,1982),‘Ch.4:
RaceAfterDarwin:TheWorldofthePhysicalAnthropologists,’pp.83-110.
Week11:DepictingtheIrish
Irelandwassubjecttomanyofthesameprocessesof‘othering’asBritain’sfurthercolonies.In
thissession,we’lllookathowIrishbodiesweredepictedinBritishcaricatures,reflecting
contemporaryprejudicedirectedatboththeIrishintheirownterritory,andasmigrant
labourers.TheimageoftheIrishasdegenerate,andpronetohigherlevelsofdrunkennessand
insanity,fedintodebatesaroundIrishpolitics,andtheparticularlytheirabilitytoself-govern.As
aconsequence,therehasbeensomediscussionaboutwhetheranti-Irishprejudicewas‘racial’,
reflectingadivisionbetween‘Saxons’and‘Celts’,orwhetheritwasgroundinthepolitical,
behavioural,andreligiousdifferencesthatshapedEnglishandIrishidentityduringthisperiod.
DiscussionQuestions:
WhatstrereotypeswereparticularlyassociatedwiththeIrishinthenineteenthcentury,and
whatevidencewasharnessedtosupportthesedepictions?
Whatroledidvisualcultureplayinperpetuatinganti-Irishprejudice?
Wasanti-Irishprejudicefocusedmoreonbiologicalorbehaviouralfactors?
RequiredReadings:
*PatrickBrantlinger,TamingCannibals:RaceandtheVictorians(Ithaca,2011),‘Ch.6:The
UnbearableLightnessofBeingIrish,’pp.136-156.
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*CatherineCox,HilaryMarlandandSarahYork,‘Emaciated,ExhaustedandExcited:TheBodies
andMindsoftheIrishinNineteenth-CenturyLancashireAsylums,’JournalofSocialHistory46
(2012),500-524.
**L.P.Curtis,Jr.,Anglo-SaxonsandCelts:AStudyofAnti-IrishPrejudiceinVictorianEngland
(Bridgeport,1968),‘Ch.V:Ango-SaxonistEthnology,’pp.66-73
**L.PerryCurtisJr.,ApesandAngels:TheIrishmaninVictorianCaricature,Rev.Ed(Washington,
1997),‘Ch.IV:SimianizingtheIrishCelt,’pp.29-57
*SheridanGilley,‘EnglishAttitudestotheIrishinEngland,1780-1900,’inColinHolmes(ed.)
ImmigrantsandMinoritiesinBritishSociety(London,1978),pp.81-110
Week12:ColonialMedicineinSouthAsia
EuropeanmedicinemadeinroadsintotheIndiansubcontinentinthelateseventeenthcentury,
andgrewinprominenceastheBritishdominatedtheregionuntilthemid-twentiethcentury.In
thissessionwe’llexaminetheimportationofEuropeanmedicalknowledge,institutionsand
practicesintoIndia,andwillconsiderhowepidemicdiseasesendemictoSouthAsiashaped
relationsbetweenthecolonisersandcolonized,becomingacontestedareaaroundwhich
medicinewaswieldedbothasameansof‘control’and‘resistance.’
DiscussionQuestions:
-WhatroledidcholeraplayinshapingnotionsofIndiaasalocusofdisease?
-HowwassanitationasapublichealthmeasureusedasameansofcolonialcontrolinIndia?
-Howdominantwas‘Westernmedicine’inIndiaduringthecolonialperiod?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.6:Western
MedicineinColonialIndia,’pp.101-121.
RequiredReadings:
**DavidArnold,ColonizingtheBody:StateMedicineandEpidemicDiseaseinNineteenthCenturyIndia(1993),‘Ch.1:OccidentalTherapeuticsandOrientalBodies,’pp.11-60and‘Ch.4:
Cholera:DiseaseasDisorder,’pp.159-199
*AlanBewell,RomanticismandColonialDisease(Baltimore,1999),‘Ch.7:Cholera,Sanitation
andColonialRepresentationsofIndia,’pp.242-276
*MarkHarrison,‘MedicineandColonialisminSouthAsiasince1500’,inMarkJackson(ed.),
OxfordHandbookoftheHistoryofMedicine(Oxford,2011),pp.285-301
*SheldonWatts,‘FromRapidChangetoStasis:OfficialResponsestoCholerainBritish-Ruled
IndiaandEgypt:1860toc.1921’,JournalofWorldHistory,12(2001),321-74
Week13:TheControloftheCaribbean
TheislandsoftheWestIndieswerekeysitesofconflictamongstEuropeanpowers,whofought
successivewarstosecurepossessionofthetemperatelandsparticularlywellsuitedforthe
cultivationofsugar.ClashesbetweentheindigenouspopulationandEuropeansettlers,between
Europeanarmies,andbetweenimportedAfricanslavelabourersandEuropeans,meantthat
militarymedicinewasconstantlybeinghonedintheregion,asarmiesonallsidesbattled
tropicaldiseaseaswellaseachother.Inthissessionwe’llinvestigatemedicine’spivotalposition
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inthecontroloftheCaribbean.Wewillalsoexaminetheinteractionbetweenmedicineand
slaveryintheeighteenthcentury,consideringtheextenttowhichthehealthofslaveswas
prioritisedintheplantationsystem.
DiscussionQuestions:
-TowhatextentdiddiseaseinfluencetheoutcomeofcolonialwarsintheCaribbean?
-Howdidtheexperienceoftropicalwarfareshapemilitarymedicine?
-Whatmedicalproblemswereparticularlyassociatedwithslavery,andhowwerethey
managed?
-WhatdifferencescharacterisedtheresponseoftheSpanish,French,andBritishtotropical
diseaseintheWestIndies?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),'Ch.3:Medicineand
theColonialArmedForces,'pp.40-56
RequiredReadings:
*DavidGeggus,‘YellowFeverinthe1790s:theBritishArmyinoccupiedSaintDomingue,’
MedicalHistory,23(1979),38-58.
*KennethF.KipleandKrimhildConeeOrnelas,‘Race,WarandTropicalMedicineinthe
Eighteenth-CenturyCaribbean,’inDavidArnold(ed.),WarmClimatesandWesternMedicine:
TheEmergenceofTropicalMedicine,1500-1900(Amsterdam,1996),pp.65-79.
**J.R.McNeill,‘TheEcologicalBasisofWarfareintheCaribbean,1700-1804’,inMaartenUltee
(ed.),AdaptingtoConditions:WarandSocietyintheEighteenthCentury(Alabama,1986),pp.
26-42.
*S.Quinlan,‘ColonialEncounters:ColonialBodies,HygieneandAbolitionistPoliticsin
Eighteenth-CenturyFrance,’HistoryWorkshopJournal42(1996),107-125.
**RichardB.Sheridan,DoctorsandSlaves:AMedicalandDemographicHistoryofSlaveryinthe
BritishWestIndies,1680-1834(Cambridge,1985),‘Ch.1:TheDiseaseEnvironmentsand
Epidemiology,’pp.1-41
Week14:ThePacificChallenge
ThecolonizationandsettlementofAustraliaandNewZealandhadmanyofthedevastating
consequencesofthe‘ColumbianExchange’intheAmericas,asimporteddiseases,conquest,
anddisplacementreducedtheAboriginalAustralianandMaoripopulations.WhileEuropean
adaptednascentideasabouttropicalhealthtothePacific,theindigenouspeoplesoftheregion
attractedparticularattentionfromanthropologistseagertomatchtheirideasofevolutionary
developmenttotheinhabitantsofthe‘landoflivingfossils’(inthewordsofTomGriffiths).In
thissession,we’llexaminetheconsequencesoftherapidexpansionofBritishsettlersinto
AustraliaandNewZealand,andhowtheirexperiencesshapedideasaboutrace,medicine,and
identityinthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies.
DiscussionQuestions:
-WhatwerethemedicalconsequencesofEuropeansettlementinOceania?
-Howdidideasaboutraceandtheenvironmentinfluencemedicaltheoryandpracticein
Oceania?
-WhydidanthropologistsconsidertheAboriginalpopulationsofthePacificparticularly
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primitive?
-HowdidpublichealthmeasuresreflectracialideologiesinAustraliaandNewZealand?
RequiredReadings:
**WarwickAnderson,TheCultivationofWhiteness:Science,HealthandRacialDestinyin
Australia(Melbourne,2002),‘Ch.7:FromDesertstheProphetsCome,’pp.191-224.
*LindaBryder;‘ANewWorld?TwoHundredYearsofPublicHealthinAustraliaandNew
Zealand’,inDorothyPorter(ed.),TheHistoryofPublicHealthandtheModernState(Amsterdam,
1994),pp.313–334.
*TomGriffiths,HuntersandCollectors:TheAntiquarianImaginationinAustralia(Cambridge,
1996)
*MalcolmNicolson,‘MedicineandRacialPolitics:ChangingImagesoftheNewZealandMaoriin
theNineteenthCentury’,inDavidArnold(ed.)ImperialMedicineandIndigenousSocieties
(Manchester,1988),pp.66-104.
*PaulTurnbull,‘BritishAnthropologicalThoughtinColonialPractice:Theappropriationof
IndigenousAustralianbodies,1860-1880’,inBronwenDouglasandChrisBallard(eds.),Foreign
Bodies:OceaniaandtheScienceofRace,1750-1940(Canberra,2008),pp.205-228.
Week15:SettlingAfrica
ThehostilediseaseenvironmentofcentralAfricastymiedeffortstoexploreandcolonisethe
continent,withhighratesofEuropeanmorbidityandmortalitycontributingtotheimpression
thatAfricawas‘thewhiteman’sgrave.’Survivalratesbegantoimproveinthenineteenth
century,allowingforWesternpowerstocompeteforterritoryandresources,often
accompaniedbymissionarieswhousedtheirmedicalknowledgetoestablishtheirplaceinlocal
communities.Inthissession,we’lllookatthepartplayedbymedicineinfacilitatingthe
conquestofAfrica,aswellasitsroleinestablishingauthorityandconsolidatingcontroloverthe
indigenouspopulation.
DiscussionQuestions:
-TowhatextentwasdiseaseanobstacletothecolonizationofAfrica?
-WhydidAfrica’sreputationas‘thewhiteman’sgrave’alteroverthecourseofthenineteenth
century?
-HowwasmedicineusedasatoolofcolonizationinAfrica?
-WhatroledidmissionariesplayindisseminatingmedicalknowledgeandpracticeinAfrica?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.7:Medicineand
theColonisationofAfrica,’pp.122-140
RequiredReadings:
**JeanComaroff,‘TheDiseasedHeartofAfrica:Medicine,Colonialism,andtheBlackBody’,in
ShirleyLindenbaumandMargaretLock(eds.),Knowledge,Power,andPractice:The
AnthropologyofMedicineandEverydayLife(Berkeley,1993),305-329.
*PhilipD.Curtin,DiseaseandEmpire:TheHealthofEuropeanTroopsintheConquestofAfrica
(Cambridge,1998),‘Ch.4:TropicalConquestinWestAfrica,’pp.74-112.
*HarrietDeacon,‘RacismandMedicalScienceinSouthAfrica'sCapeColonyintheMid-toLate
NineteenthCentury’,Osiris,15(2000),190-206.
*MaryinezLyons,TheColonialDisease.ASocialHistoryofSleepingSicknessinNorthernZaire,
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1900-1940(Cambridge,1992).'Ch.7:TheCampaign.PartOne:SleepingSicknessandSocial
Medicine',pp.102-136
**MeganVaughan,CuringtheirIlls:ColonialPowerandAfricanIllness(NewYork,1991),'Ch.2:
Rats'TailsandTrypanosomes:NatureandCultureinEarlyColonialMedicine,'pp.29-55.
Week17:TheoriesofRacial‘Extinction’
Inthissessionwewillreviewtheriseof‘racialextinction’theoriesthatwereemployedinthe
nineteenthcenturytoexplaintherapiddemiseofindigenouspeoples—particularlyinNorth
AmericaandOceania,wherediseaseandconflicthadseveredemographicconsequences.Inan
efforttocometotermswiththeconsequencesofcolonization,settlersturnedtobiological
explanationstoexplainthesedynamics.Theyalsousedideasabout‘extinction’tojustify
paternalmeasuresofprotectionthatsawindigenousgroupsremovedfromtheirancestrallands,
policiesthatweresupportedbypopulardepictionsofsuchpeoplesasthe‘last’oftheirkind.
DiscussionQuestions:
-HowdidEuropeansaccountforthedeclineintheindigenouspopulationsofOceaniaand/or
NorthAmerica?
-Howweretheoriesofracialextinctionusedtojustifypoliciesofremoval/separation?
-Towhatextentdidextinctiontheoriesleadtomoresympatheticrepresentationsof
‘endangered’peoples?
RequiredReadings:
*PatrickBrantlinger,DarkVanishings:DiscourseontheExtinctionofPrimitiveRaces,1800-1930
(Ithaca,2003),‘Ch.3:VanishingAmericans,’pp.45-67
**PhilippaLevine,‘Anthropology,Colonialism,andEugenics,’inAlisonBashfordandPhilippa
Levine(eds.)TheOxfordHandbookoftheHistoryofEugenics(Oxford,2010),pp.43-61.
*RussellMcGregor,ImaginedDestinies:AboriginalAustraliansandtheDoomedRaceTheory,
1880-1939(Melbourne,1997),‘Ch.1:TheCreationandAnnihilationofPrimitiveMan’,pp.19-60.
*StefanPetrow,‘TheLastMan:TheMutilationofWilliamLannein1869anditsAftermath’,
AboriginalHistory,21(1997),90-112
Week18:TropicalMedicine
Withthespreadofthegermtheoryofdiseasecausationinthesecondhalfofthenineteenth
century,newdevelopmentsinbacteriologyspurredthecreationof‘tropicalmedicine’asa
disciplinefocusedonthediseasesofwarmclimates.Thisspecialisationwasparticularly
associatedwiththepioneeringworkofPatrickManson(1844-1922),whoidentifiedmosquitos
asavectorofdisease,andfoundedtheLondonSchoolofHygieneandTropicalMedicinein1899.
YetwhileresearchintropicalmedicinecouldbeundertakeninEurope,thetropicsand
subtropicsremainedkeysitesofdiscoveryandinnovation.Theyalsoprovidedtestinggrounds
fornewmethodsofpreventionandtreatment,precipitatingfurtherdividesbetweenWestern
medicalpracticeandcolonialsubjectsinthetwentiethcentury.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Howdidtheadventof‘tropicalmedicine’asamoderndisciplinedisplacetraditionalideas
aboutdisease,raceandclimate?
-Whoweretheprimarybeneficiariesoftropicalmedicine?
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-Towhatextentwasthenew‘tropicalmedicine’atoolofempire?
-Howdidtropicalmedicinetransformmedicalpracticeintropicalclimates?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.8:Imperialismand
TropicalMedicine,’pp.141-163
RequiredReadings:
*WarwickAnderson,‘Germs,MalariaandtheInventionofMansonianTropicalMedicine:From
‘DiseasesintheTropics’to‘TropicalDiseases,’inDavidArnold(ed.),WarmClimatesand
WesternMedicine:TheEmergenceofTropicalMedicine,1500-1900(Amsterdam,1996),pp.181207
*AlisonBashford,‘IsWhiteAustraliaPossible?Race,ColonialismandTropicalMedicine,’Ethnic
andRacialStudies23(2000),pp.248-271
*AndrewCunningham,‘TransformingthePlague:TheLaboratoryandtheIdentityofInfectious
Disease’,inAndrewCunninghamandPerryWilliams(eds),TheLaboratoryRevolutionin
Medicine(Cambridge,1992),209–44
**NancyLeysStepan,PicturingTropicalNature(London,2001),‘Ch.5:TheNewTropical
Pathology,’pp.149-179
*MichaelWorboys,‘TheEmergenceofTropicalMedicine:AStudyintheEstablishmentofa
ScientificSpeciality,’inGerardLemaine(ed),PerspectivesontheEmergenceofScientific
Disciplines(TheHague,1976),76-98.
Week19:Sexuality,Gender,andEmpire
Interracialrelationshipsandsexualliaisonshadalwaysbeenaby-productofempire,butinthe
nineteenthcenturytheracialandgenderdynamicsofthesecouplingswereincreasingly
interpretedinamedicalframeworkthatemphasizedtheirdangers.Effortstoreducevenereal
diseaseledtorestrictionsonprostitutionthroughoutthecolonies,withlocalwomenalmost
alwayspresumedtobesourceofinfection.Suchnegativeoutcomeswerecolouredbycenturies
ofassumptionsaboutthesexualityofnon-Europeans,whichwasincreasinglyseenas
threateningtothemoralityandvirilityofmalesettlers.Inthissessionwewillexaminehowsuch
viewsinfluencedboththerhetoricandlegislationaroundinterracialrelationsinvariouscolonial
settings.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Howdidtheregulationsaroundprostitution,intendedtocurbinstancesofveneraldisease,
differinEuropeanandnon-Europeansettings?
-Howwasoppositiontointerracialrelationshipsandmarriagesjustifiedfromamedical
standpoint?
-Whatracialassumptionsandbiasesunderlayattemptstocurbinterracialsexualrelationsinthe
colonialsetting?
RequiredReadings:
*DonnaJ.Guy,‘MedicalImperialismGoneAwry:TheCaseagainstLegalizedProstitutioninLatin
America,’inTeresaMeadeandMarkWalker,Science,MedicineandCulturalImperialism
(Basingstoke,1991),pp.75-94
**PhilippaLevine,‘VenerealDisease,Prostitution,andthePoliticsofEmpire:TheCaseofBritish
17
India’,JournaloftheHistoryofSexuality,4(1994),579-602.
*AnneMcClintock,ImperialLeather:Race,GenderandSexualityintheColonialContext(New
York,1995),‘Ch.1:TheLayoftheLand:GenealogiesofImperialism,’pp.21-74
*LauraAnnStoler,‘CarnalKnowledgeandImperialPower:Gender,RaceandMoralityin
ColonialAsia,’inMichaeladiLeonardo(ed.),FeministAnthropologyinthePostmodernEra
(Berkeley,1991),pp.51-101
Week20:MedicalColonisation
Throughouttheyear,wehavelookedatvariousinteractionsbetweenEuropeanandnonEuropeanmedicine.Inthissession,we’llrevisitsomeofthethemesintroducedatthestartof
theyear,andconsidertheextenttowhichmedicinewasa‘toolofempire’.We’llconsiderwho
benefittedfromtheimportationofWesternmedicinetothecolonies,andhowsuccessful
Europeanswereatensuringthedominanceoftheirownsystemsofpractice.Wewillalsolook
athownon-EuropeansrespondedtotheintroductionandincursionofWesternmedicineinto
theirlives,andhowtheyattemptedtoadapttocompetingknowledgesystemsthatthreatened
themethodsandlivelihoodsoftraditionalpractitioners.Adiscussionoftheseissueswilltakeus
intothepost-colonialperiod,andthemedicallegaciesofempirethroughouttheworld.
DiscussionQuestions:
-Howacceptingwerenon-EuropeansofWesternmedicalpracticessuchasvaccinationand
quarantine?
-Towhatextentwereindigenousmedicalpracticesdisplacedbybiomedicalpracticesinthe
formercolonies?
-HowdidlocalpractitionersadapttothecompetitionprovidedbyWesternmedicine?
-Wasimperialmedicineaproductofreciprocityandexchange,ordiditremainalargely
unalteredWesternsystemofpractice?
BackgroundReading:
PratikChakrabarti,MedicineandEmpire,1600-1960(Basingstoke,2014),‘Ch.10:Colonialism
andTraditionalMedicines,’and‘Conclusion:TheColonialLegaciesofGlobalHealth’,pp.182-205
RequiredReading:
**WaltraudErnst,‘BeyondEastandWest:FromtheHistoryofColonialMedicinetoaSocial
HistoryofMedicine(s)inSouthAsia,’SocialHistoryofMedicine20(2007),pp.505-524
*KarenFlint,'Competition,Race,andProfessionalization:HealersandWhiteMedical
PractitionersinNatal,SouthAfricaintheEarlyTwentiethCentury',SocialHistoryofMedicine,
14.2(2001),199-221
*KentMaynard,‘EuropeanPreoccupationsandIndigenousCultureinCameroon:BritishRule
andtheTransformationofKedjomMedicine,’CanadianJournalofAfricanStudies36(2002),79117.
*RandallM.Packard,‘Post-ColonialMedicine,’inRogerCooterandJohnPickstone(eds.)
Medicineinthe20thCentury(Amsterdam,2000),pp.97-112.
BookletCoverImage:CharlesR.Browne,‘AnthropometryinInishbofin’,1893.
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