Contested legitimacy for anthropologists involved in medical humanitarian action: experiences from the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.

The growing involvement of anthropologists in medical humanitarian response efforts has laid bare the moral and ethical consequences that emerge from humanitarian action. Anthropologists are well placed to examine the social, political, cultural and economic dimensions that influence the spread of diseases, and the ways in which to respond to epidemics. Anthropologists are also, with care, able to turn a critical lens on medical humanitarian response. However, there remains some resistance to involving anthropologists in response activities in the field. Drawing on interviews with anthropologists and humanitarian workers involved in the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic, this paper reveals the complex roles taken on by anthropologists in the field and reveals how anthropologists faced questions of legitimacy vis-à-vis communities and responders in their roles in response activities, which focused on acting as 'firefighters' and 'cultural brokers' as well as legitimacy as academic researchers. Whilst these anthropologists were able to conduct research alongside these activities, or draw on anthropological knowledge to inform response activities, questions also arose about the legitimacy of these roles for anthropological academia. We conclude that the process of gaining legitimacy from all these different constituencies is particular to anthropologists and reveals the role of 'giving voice' to communities alongside critiquing medical humanitarianism. Whilst these anthropologists have strengthened the argument for the involvement of anthropologists in epidemic response this anthropological engagement with medical humanitarianism has revealed theoretical considerations more broadly for the discipline, as highlighted through engagement in other fields, especially in human rights and global health.

[On the anthropological relevance of pain]. / Zum anthropologischen Stellenwert des Schmerzes.

Medicine is increasingly being confronted with expectations that it provide more permanent and comprehensive freedom from pain - and the prospect of being pain free is partially even being held out by medical science itself. In our cultural context, there is now the established idea that pain is something that medical science and technology can - and must - "get rid of." This idea is particularly problematic when it comes to chronic pain. Furthermore, it obscures the fact that pain is a significant element of life and one that can have existential meaning. Therefore, it is crucial to reflect on the scope of this wish for medicine to relieve and eliminate pain.

Identidad de la Medicina en el pensamiento de Edmund. D. Pellegrino / The identity of medicine in the thought of Edmund. D. Pellegrino

El texto aborda el pensamiento de Pellegrino respecto de la filosofía de la Medicina, su preocupación por los cambios en la relación médico-paciente en Estados Unidos y su aportación al debate sobre la identidad de la Medicina. Con adhesión al aristotelismo-tomista, pero desde un acercamiento fenomenológico al acto médico, el maestro identifica el "fin" de la Medicina y también su límite en la "sanación" y en sus dos momentos, la curación y la ayuda, que incluye el cuidado. La Medicina -la esencia de la Medicina- aboca a la sanación porque es el "bien" al que tiende de suyo la relación entre paciente y médico, que se convierte así en su finalidad. La ética médica germina y nace en el seno de esta relación, en el encuentro clínico como experiencia universal de la enfermedad, el dolor y la limitación humanas. Así pues, la sanación es la esencia de la Medicina y a la vez su identidad genuina. Y la salud en sentido amplio la finalidad a la que aboca la Medicina. Una resolución conceptual que nace en la experiencia de la práctica médica y que se ha de diferenciar del envolvimiento sociológico de la profesión en cada tiempo. Fuera de ella, los actos llevados a cabo no son estrictamente actos médicos. En la doctrina de Pellegrino, de la excelencia del acto técnico de la sanación y en su interior se revela la idea matriz y clásica del "bien del enfermo", como primer principio de la ética médica. El acto médico no es solo un acto técnico, es también una empresa moral, que el maestro vinculará a las llamadas "virtudes médicas". Pero este "bien" no puede ser entendido hoy en los viejos términos hipocráticos, y ha de abrirse a la dignidad de la persona enferma y a su autonomía moral, lo que exigirá de una actualización del concepto por parte del maestro, en base a cuatro clarificadoras aproximaciones que el artículo identifica y sintetiza

This essay addresses Pellegrino's thought on Philosophy of Medicine; it also provides an approach to his concerns on the changing relationship between patients and physicians which took place in the late twentieth century in the United States and, finally, to his contribution to the identity of Medicine debate. From an Aristotelian-Thomist way of thinking, and from a phenomenological approach to the medical act, he identifies the ending of Medicine and also its limits concerning to "healing", in his two moments, curing and helping, which includes caring. Medicine -the essence of Medicine- tends to healing, for this relationship between patient and physician tends to a "good" which ultimately ends up being its finality. Medical ethics germinates within this relationship, the clinical encounter, as a universal experience of illness, pain and humane limitation. Therefore, healing is the essence of Medicine and truly its genuine identity. Besides healing any other act is not strictly medical. From the doctrine of Pellegrino emerges that original and classic idea of "the good of the patient" as the main and ruling principle of medical ethics. Medical act is no longer just a technique –a technical act− but also a moral enterprise, which our teacher relates to the so called "medical virtues". But this "good" may not be understood nowadays in the old Hippocratic terms and should also be related to the dignity of the patients and to his or her moral autonomy. And accordingly an updating of the concept of good is demanded by the teacher who, to this intent, stresses four main aspects which are summoned in the article

Voice, boundary work, and visibility in research on sex work in Morocco.

How might the ethnographer conduct research on health and suffering among populations who would rather remain hidden? Drawing on my research with female sex workers in southern Morocco, I suggest and demonstrate an approach that allows interlocutors' discretionary practices to guide ethnographic inquiry. I show how boundary work--as a politics of visibility founded on practices of discretion, concealment, and distancing--emerged as central to my interlocutors' livelihood strategies and their efforts to enact moral personhood, integrate themselves into networks of solidarity, and articulate social critiques. A methodological focus on discourses and practices of boundary drawing, I argue, was essential for conceptualizing and representing the suffering of the women with whom I worked. Using boundary work as a guide, the ethnographer does not give voice to suffering, but learns how suffering is already voiced as part of attempts to survive, aspire, and become.

Anthropology, ethical dissonance, and the construction of the object.

In this article, I discuss certain questions relating to the ethical difficulties faced by anthropologists when dealing with two different social groups and when one group holds a position of dominance over the other. In the first example, I draw on my work on doctor-patient relationships in France; in the second, on a study on reproduction in immigrant African families from Mali and Senegal, living in polygynous households in France. I use these examples to explore questions of positionality, beneficence, and potential harm. I show the choices I made in order to construct an epistemologically ethical object.

[Organ transplantation. Questions in the interface of ethics and anthropology]. / Organtransplantation. Fragen im Schnittbereich von Anthropologie und Ethik.

In the field of organ transplantation medical ethics is confronted with a number of problems where the particular difficulty lies in the fact that ethical and anthropological questions interpenetrate. This article discusses two of these problems in this interface both of which are highly controversial: the real or apparent contradiction between the dead-donor rule and the traditional definition of death and the real or apparent contradiction between the ethical desirability of harvesting organs from non-heart beating donors and the irreversibility of brain death.

El sentido de las enfermedades por parásitos intestinales en poblaciones americanas, identificando dilemas bioéticos / The sense of intestinal parasitic diseases in american populations, identifying bioethical dilemmas / O sentido de parasitoses intestinais em populações americanas, identificando dilemas bioéticos

Objetivo: Identificar sentidos que pueblos del continente americano le asignan a las parasitosis intestinales y plantear posibles conflictos o dilemas en las tomas de decisiones en diferentes actividades de salud producto del encuentro de valores distintos, campo de acción de la bioética. Metodología: Revisión bibliográfica de artículos sobre parasitosis intestinales que cumplieran los criterios de inclusión establecidos y suministraran aportes para la comprensión hermenéutica de las parasitosis intestinales y permitieran identificar dilemas bioéticos para actividades en salud resultantes del contacto entre las visiones émica y ética (de la biomedicina). Resultados: La construcción social de las parasitosis intestinales influye en su percepción de causalidad, nocividad y como problema de salud, lo cual afecta las acciones que la gente emprenda ante ellas. Se advierte que tales construcciones sociales pueden no coincidir con la perspectiva biomédica. Se observó que en algunas poblaciones la construcción social del cuerpo se relaciona con la percepción de efectos benéficos de los parásitos. La gente reconoce factores de riesgo pero esto no necesariamente conduce a comportamientos preventivos. Algunos estudios reconocen que la educación ha sido de tipo informativo, sin participación comunitaria, lo cual impide que la gente se identifique con ella y se sienta motivada a transformar su realidad. Se identificaron diversos dilemas bioéticos producto del contacto entre visiones de las poblaciones, y la biomedicina. Conclusiones: La aproximación émica permite entender la lógica de la población sobre las parasitosis intestinales e identificar disyuntivas bioéticas. Aunque la gente reconozca los riesgos de infección, la falta de comprensión de la perspectiva émica de los parasitismos por parte del personal de salud y las deficientes condiciones de vida permiten que no se produzcan transformaciones que incidan en la disminución de sus prevalencias. Eso mismo afectará el éxito de programas de atención, prevención, promoción y educación en la salud. Pero el análisis de la visión émica, aunque es fundamental, no lo es todo. En el problema de las parasitosis intestinales intervienen también condiciones infraestructurales, que conllevan situaciones conflictivas para los profesionales de la salud, como agentes externos a las comunidades. Se pueden hacer campañas de educación que efectivamente mejoren la prevención, pero realidades socio-económicas (por ejemplo, pobreza, participación comunitaria, empoderamiento,) y políticas (compromisos y acciones de líderes y gobiernos a diferentes niveles) pueden incidir para que lo que se aprendió no surta el efecto deseado o que se modifiquen las condiciones estructurales que generan los problemas. En este punto se generan problemas morales que deberían ser analizados por la bioética.

Objective: Identifying meanings that American populations assign to parasitic intestinal diseases and raising potential conflicts or dilemmas in making-decision in various health activities result of the contact between traditional and biomedical perspectives. Methodology: Bibliographic review on intestinal parasites that met the inclusion criteria and supply insights for hermeneutics understanding of intestinal parasites and allow identify bioethical dilemmas for health activities resulting from contact between the emic and ethical visions (of biomedicine). Results: The social construction of parasitic intestinal diseases influences their perception of causality, harmfulness and as a health problem. This affects actions that people undertake to these diseases. People's perception of the diseases can be different to the health professionals. Sometimes ethnoanatomy is related to beneficial effects from the parasites. People recognize risk factors but this does not necessarily lead to preventive behaviors. Some researches recognize informative education without community participation is not successful because people do not feel motivated to transform your reality. There were established various bioethical dilemmas arising from contact between emic and biomedical perspectives. Conclusions: Emic approach allows us to understand people's logic about intestinal parasites. Although people recognize infection risks from an etic perspective, health officers' lack of understanding of emic perspective of parasitic intestinal diseases, and the poor living conditions cannot produce changes that affect the reduction on prevalence rates. Those facts will affect the success of care, prevention, promotion and health education programs. The emic perspective is not definitely. There are a lot of infrastructural conditions that developed different conflict situations for the work of the health professionals. They can provide elements for prevention and promotion strategies and programs, but depending on the socio-economical (poverty, community participation and empowerment) and political (i.e. leadership, formal commitments) conditions can be used or not. The last conclusion is that many ethical and moral problems must be analyzed by bioethics.

Objetivo: Identificar sentidos que povos das Américas atribuem às parasitoses intestinais e formular potenciais conflitos ou dilemas nas tomada de decisões em várias atividades de saúde produto do encontro de valores diferentes, o escopo da bioética. Metodologia: pesquisa de artigos sobre parasitoses intestinais que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão e forneceram contribuições para a compreensão hermenêutica das parasitoses intestinais e permitiram identificar dilemas bioéticos para atividades de saúde decorrentes do contato entre as visões émicas e éticas (da biomedicina). Resultados: A construção social das parasitoses intestinais influencia na sua percepção de causalidade, nocividade e como um problema de saúde, o que afeta as ações que as pessoas empreendem diante deles. Você é avisado de que tais construções sociais podem não corresponder à perspectiva biomédica. Observouse que em algumas populações, a construção social do corpo está relacionada com a percepção de efeitos benéficos dos parasitas. As pessoas reconhecem fatores de risco, mas isso não conduz necessariamente a comportamentos preventivos. Alguns estudos reconhecem que a educação tem sido do tipo informativo, sem a participação da comunidade, o que impede que as pessoas se identifiquem com ela e se sinta motivada para mudar sua realidade. Identificaramse vários dilemas bioéticos produto do contato entre as visões das populações e da biomedicina. Conclusões: A abordagem émica permite entender a lógica das pessoas sobre os parasitas intestinais, e identificar os dilemas bioéticos. Embora as pessoas reconheçam os riscos de infecção, a falta de compreensão da perspectiva émica dos parasitismos por parte do pessoal de saúde e as condições de vida precárias permitem que não haja transformações que afetem na diminuição das suas prevalências. Isso mesmo afetará o sucesso de programas de atenção, prevenção, promoção e educação em saúde. Mas, a análise da visão émica, embora seja essencial, não é tudo. No problema das parasitoses intestinais também interferem condições de infraestrutura, que implicam situações conflitivas para os profissionais de saúde, e para agentes de fora para as comunidades. Você pode fazer campanhas de educação que efetivamente melhorem a prevenção, mas realidades socioeconômicas (por exemplo, pobreza, participação da comunidade, empoderamento) e políticas (compromissos e ações de líderes e governos em diferentes níveis) podem influenciar para que o que é se aprendeu não dei o efeito pretendido ou que se modifiquem as condições estruturais que criam os problemas. Neste momento são gerados questões morais que deveriam ser analisados pela bioética.

Participant observation and change of perspectives: medical anthropology and the encounter with socially marginalised groups. First experiences with a new teaching concept.

This paper examines the new teaching concept "Providing medical care on the fringe of society: Participant observation and change in perspectives" in the context of the interdisciplinary field of Querschnittsbereich 2/Q 2 (the transdisciplinary section under AOÄ, the German Regulations for licensed physicians) that explores the history, theory and ethics of medicine. The disciplinary approach usually adopted in Q 2 is supplemented with concepts from medical anthropology; in addition students will be exposed to people in extreme social situations. The aim is to make students aware of and invite them to reflect upon: the importance of participant observation in the specific on-site setting of medical thinking and acting; the importance of the subjectivity of all those involved in doctor/patient interaction; and the fact that key medical terms (such as the "need" as seen by the physician vs. the need as seen by the patient) are essentially context-dependent in their interpretation. At a more general level students will learn how to put themselves in the position of different protagonists in a range of medical settings, and practice the skill of reflecting critically upon putative conceptual/theoretical and normative-ethical assumptions in medicine.

Ambivalent participation: sex, power, and the anthropologist in Mozambique.

Participation in young peoples' sexual cultures in Maputo, Mozambique led to reflections about the field dynamics of power, participation, desire, and discomfort. Structural inequalities of race, gender, and educational status resulted in informants seeing me as a morally righteous person to whom they could not give open accounts about sexual practice. Attempting to overcome these barriers, I participated in excessive nightlife activities, and as a consequence they began viewing me as a more accepting and reliable person. Although breaking down these barriers provided invaluable insight into their sexual culture, it also caused anxiety and troubling desires vis-à-vis informants. I discuss how anthropologists, through fieldwork are transformed from powerful seducers of informants to objects of informants' seduction. This creates dilemmas for the anthropologist whose fieldwork depends on informants' continued participation. I show how negotiating the risks of participation may simultaneously satisfy the desire for knowledge and curb erotic desires.

Anthropology, organ transplantation and the immune system: resituating commodity and gift exchange.

This article reflects on contributions from medical anthropology to our understanding of the bio-social and bio-political implications of renal transplantation. Taking up the idea of transplantation as a 'complex', a vast assemblage of people, places, practices and procedures which intersect medical, social and cultural domains, I point to a reliance in the anthropological literature on overly pre-determined conceptual frameworks, organised around a distinct polarisation between organ giving and receiving, where one side (supply) takes analytical, and indeed moral, precedence over the other (receipt). These frameworks tend to fail us when it comes to thinking about the wider social, cultural and political implications of transplant technologies. In an attempt to offer a less polarised view, I draw attention to the material and symbolic role of the immune system in transplantation and the ways in which it simultaneously shapes opportunities for procurement and the lived realities of recipiency. This helps us see the many complex ways in which suffering and inequality are constituted all along the variegated chains of supply and demand that are internal to, and made possible by, transplantation practices themselves.