Culture, Religion, and Ethnomedicine

Culture, Religion, and Ethnomedicine discusses various interdependencies between culture, religion, and health with a concentration on Tibetan culture. Igor Pietkiewicz uses an example of the Tibetans in exile to explain how culture affects illness behavior, including perception of sickness and treatment methods, as well as the choice of an appropriate cure. The book also touches upon the problem of migration and various risk factors associated with adjustment of ethnic minorities in a host country. It elaborates on the issues not limited to a single refugee community, but universal in a world that is becoming a global village. Students planning to do qualitative research in social sciences will find this book valuable. Students can learn how to select data and get information about data sources, analysis, and management from the chapter on qualitative research methodology. This book will also be helpful to health practitioners who treat individuals representing other cultures as well those interested in health issues in multi-cultural settings. A free companion website with extensive supplementary material including full-color photographs is available at www.cultureandmedicine.com.