Transnationalisation and Heritage Making :

Towards a New Re-configurations of Therapeutic Resources.

This panel invites discussion on current re-configurations and representations of different medical knowledge and practices, in contexts characterized by transnationalisation and “heritage making” processes. Globalisation, circulation of cultural elements, knowledge, people and medical resources, transit of therapeutic knowledge and practices, lead to a recognition of “local” and processes of “heritage making”. We encourage to debate on introduction of exogenous practices into other societies and their cohabitation with other medical systems; new re-definitions of therapeutic resources arisen by medical pluralism and co-existence of different medical systems; and on processes of “heritage making” stressing the value of therapeutic resources in medical pluralism (considering biomedicine, alternative/complementary and traditional medicines, etc.); although UNESCO in 2003 ratified the Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, giving particular relevance to preservation of traditional medicine.

Taking into account the relationship among medical pluralism, heritage and transnationalisation, how do exogenous medical practices appear and introduce themselves within other medical landscapes? What happens when they transit from a particular context to another one? How do different therapeutic resources coexist and change within a medical pluralistic context? How are they re-configured and translated into heritage? Which kind of negotiations, re-configurations and re-inventions of therapeutic resources emerge following the before mentioned processes of transnationalisation and “heritage making”? Which kind of power relationships at local, national and international level arise following processes of “heritage making” and circulation of medical knowledge? How do Western and non-Western heritage institutions (archives, libraries, cultural centers and in particular museums) face these problematic topics?

We invite submissions on all these themes and case-studies on current redefinitions and changes of therapeutic resources to improve international debate on heritage, medical pluralism and circulation of medical knowledge and practices.

Organisers

Dr Lucia Candelise e-mail: luccicando@wanadoo.fr

Mariaclaudia Cristofano e-mail: mc.cristofano@gmail.com

Dr Anna Lora-Wainwright e-mail: anna.lora-wainwright@ouce.ox.ac.uk

Elisa Vasconi e-mail: elisavasconi@yahoo.it