This course introduces students undertaking Bachelors course in Anthropology to key concepts in the field of medical anthropology focusing on medicine in Africa. The course provides basic understanding of ways to include social and cultural aspects in analysis of health, illness and medicine in Africa. The course explores the interactions between medicines and medical practice, society and culture, and presents a contextual and comparative approach in which cultural and social dimensions of medicines and health can be examined. The various developments within medical anthropology and beyond, which are central to contemporary perspectives on medicines in Africa are also addressed. The overall learning objective is to introduce students to a broad overview of recent issues in the domain of medicines in Africa and discuss the analytical repertories that are linked to it. The goal is to explore major social, economic, technological, and political transformations in medicines, through which access is processed, and use is experienced.
