essay
Production of self and body in Sherpa-Tibetan society
anthropological approaches to the study of ethnomedicine • Yverdon, Switzerland • Published In 1992 • Pages: 149-189
By: Adams, Vincanne.
Abstract
Following Foucault's theories of modern bio-power and governmentality, Adams argues that Buddhist medico-religious practices construct a subjectivity that resembled that of European modernity and which made possible the rise of the Tibetan state in the 13th century. He examines the medical practices of the Khumba Sherpas who are culturally Tibetan, having emigrated to Nepal in the 16th century. According to Adams, Sherpas have a tripartite notion of self, one that is social, mental, and physical. Medical practitioners, including shamans (LAWAS) and monks (LAMAS) specialize which self they treat. The former cure disorders of the 'social' self and the latter those of the body and consciousness. The division of self into mental and physical components allowed for mindful discipline of the body in Buddhist ascetic practices and the self-regulation of people in the theocratic state. Adams discusses the changes in cosmologies and notions of self between the pre-Buddhist and Buddhist periods, and examines in detail Buddhist AMCHI medical theory and practice.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2004
- Region
- Asia
- Sub Region
- Central Asia
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 2002
- Field Date
- 1982, 1986-1987
- Coverage Date
- 640-1990
- Coverage Place
- Nepal and Tibet
- Notes
- Vincanne Adams
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-189)
- LCCN
- 92020369
- LCSH
- Sherpa (Nepalese people)