APY2602
Assignment 2 Semester 2 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: September 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, 2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
The Relevance of Medical Anthropology in Understanding Health, Healing, and
Medical Systems in Western and Indigenous Societies
1. Introduction
Medical anthropology, also referred to as the anthropology of health, is a specialised
field that explores how health, illness, and healing are understood and practised
across different cultures. One of its core functions is to challenge the universal
dominance of biomedicine by recognising the validity and complexity of non-Western
health systems (Sauti, 2023). Through this lens, anthropologists are better
positioned to analyse how various societies define and manage health and illness.
This essay explores the relevance of medical anthropology in both Western and
indigenous contexts, with a specific focus on how culture, belief systems, and
healing practices influence medical systems. Examples and case studies from the
APY2602 study guide are used to support the discussion.
2. Understanding Medical Anthropology
2.1 Defining Medical Anthropology
Medical anthropology is an area within anthropology that studies how people in
different societies perceive, respond to, and treat illness. It investigates not only
biomedical approaches but also indigenous systems that include spiritual, herbal,
and communal healing (Sauti, 2023). The term "anthropology of health" is
increasingly preferred over ―medical anthropology‖ to avoid the Western connotation
of "medicine" and to emphasise holistic health approaches (Sauti, 2023:12).
2.2 Core Functions of Medical Anthropology
The field seeks to uncover how beliefs, social structures, and environments affect
health outcomes. It also critiques assumptions in mainstream medicine, such as the
belief in a universal understanding of disease. It promotes cultural sensitivity in
health care, encourages integrative health approaches, and informs public health
strategies by recognising the sociocultural determinants of health (Sauti, 2023).
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 2 Semester 2 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: September 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, 2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
The Relevance of Medical Anthropology in Understanding Health, Healing, and
Medical Systems in Western and Indigenous Societies
1. Introduction
Medical anthropology, also referred to as the anthropology of health, is a specialised
field that explores how health, illness, and healing are understood and practised
across different cultures. One of its core functions is to challenge the universal
dominance of biomedicine by recognising the validity and complexity of non-Western
health systems (Sauti, 2023). Through this lens, anthropologists are better
positioned to analyse how various societies define and manage health and illness.
This essay explores the relevance of medical anthropology in both Western and
indigenous contexts, with a specific focus on how culture, belief systems, and
healing practices influence medical systems. Examples and case studies from the
APY2602 study guide are used to support the discussion.
2. Understanding Medical Anthropology
2.1 Defining Medical Anthropology
Medical anthropology is an area within anthropology that studies how people in
different societies perceive, respond to, and treat illness. It investigates not only
biomedical approaches but also indigenous systems that include spiritual, herbal,
and communal healing (Sauti, 2023). The term "anthropology of health" is
increasingly preferred over ―medical anthropology‖ to avoid the Western connotation
of "medicine" and to emphasise holistic health approaches (Sauti, 2023:12).
2.2 Core Functions of Medical Anthropology
The field seeks to uncover how beliefs, social structures, and environments affect
health outcomes. It also critiques assumptions in mainstream medicine, such as the
belief in a universal understanding of disease. It promotes cultural sensitivity in
health care, encourages integrative health approaches, and informs public health
strategies by recognising the sociocultural determinants of health (Sauti, 2023).
Varsity Cube 2025 +27 81 278 3372
