Histories of Health and Materiality in the Indian Ocean World: Medicine, Material Culture and Trade, 1600-2000

This book explores how communities in the Indian Ocean World understood and interacted with health and medical commodities, challenging existing approaches to knowledge, power, and the market. It defines "therapeutic commodity" and examines how different materials were understood and engaged with in various settings and for various purposes, demonstrating how medicinal substances have had immediate and far-reaching economic and political consequences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate relationship between medicine and materiality, focusing on communities across the Indian Ocean World. By incorporating spatial dimensions into the study, it challenges conventional approaches to knowledge, power, and the market. It defines the concept of "therapeutic commodity" and explores how different materials were understood and utilized in various contexts and for diverse purposes. Through its exploration of new spatial realms, the book reveals how the circulation of commodities has shaped the creation of new regimes of meaning.

Histories of Health and Materiality in the Indian Ocean World showcases the profound economic and political impact of medicinal substances throughout history. It examines a wide range of material culture in medicinal settings, ranging from midwifery and umbilical cords to the social spaces of soap, perfumes, and remedies for leprosy. By examining these diverse aspects, the book offers a deeper understanding of the history of medicine and its role in shaping global connections since the early 17th century.

This volume contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between medicine, materiality, and global connections by providing a rich and detailed analysis of communities across the Indian Ocean World. It sheds light on the ways in which different materials have been instrumental in shaping medical practices, beliefs, and social structures, and it highlights the enduring significance of these relationships in the contemporary world.

Weight: 640g
Dimension: 241 x 163 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350195882