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.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
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.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Magical and mental therapy
- Theological systems
- Prophets and ascetics
- Ethnopsychology
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Sherpa
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2004
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Central Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard ; 2002
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1982, 1986-1987
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 640-1990
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Nepal and Tibet
- NotesAdditional notes
- Vincanne Adams
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-189)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 92020369
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Sherpa (Nepalese people)