Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
The Kohistani Tribe
Different cultures have changed due to modernity or the influence of other cultures. Despite being well structured, the old cultures are gradually changing and adapting to the modern world. However, modernity has not fully changed the way people live, instead, it is the introduction of new social, economic and political structures that changes these cultures. The discussion in this paper will illustrate that the modern world, infrastructure and globalization have significant changes in the culture of a people. To explore this thesis, this paper will explore the changes in the changes in Kohistani tribe and how they influenced their cultural integration.
Living in the upper parts of Pakistan along rivers Swat and Panjkora, the Kohistani tribe provides a good example of how construction of a road system and changes in violence influenced their culture. The first way that the construction of the road system led to cultural integration is by allowing the people of the tribe to travel and trade with other communities. The Kohistani tribe was traditionally herders and farmers; therefore they had produce they could sell in the newly developing markets (Keiser, 1991). This enabled them to share with other communities as they traded. Trade became important to them, thereby creating a need for more production; leading to the second change.
The second change was the focus of their efforts from herding to potato farming, as necessitated by the market as a result of good road systems. This had a significant consequence of the culture of the people. They had to disintegrate from the herding groups to focus on farming. Traditionally, the culture of the Kohistani tribe was closely knit through cross-kinship herding that brought several groups together (Keiser, 1991). As their farming continued, they gradually lost the cross-kinship touch. In addition, their incomes increased because of trade and their economic potential changed. As a consequence, the third change in culture was imminent.
Thirdly, the Kohistani tribe did not believe in using violence and conflicts as a way of solving their conflicts. However, due to the interaction with members of other communities, especially in the markets, their cultural ideologies changed. One of the interactions is with the Islamic communities that influenced their religious outlook to the Islamic perspectives. In addition, trade created their need for buying weapons and using them to expand their land, to get more space for farming and herding (Keiser, 1991). Due to the trade, everybody in the tribe could afford guns, even those who were previously poor. The combination of different perspective on violence as well, buying of arms with trade income created a different person. This led to violence that gradually changed their culture and introduced the integration of their culture with the Thull.
The changes in the cultural integration of the Kohistani tribe existed in consequences that followed each other. This means that one change led to the other, which instead led to another. The impact of the construction of the road system by the Pakistani government led to movements of the Kohistani tribe and interaction with other communities (Keiser, 1991). This led to trading and establishment of market, leading to income creation. The developments in income led to a change in their perspective and eventual adoption of violence. This portrays the changes of culture as a consequence of the modern elements of economic integration, such as road construction.
Works of Paul Farmer
The works of Paul Farmer show the extent that human beings can exemplify the achievement of the three medical anthropology fields. Farmer and his colleagues in the Partners in Health organization take significant steps towards helping people at all cost and to their most extreme extents. The application of the three fields of medical anthropology provides the guidelines for every anthropologist to follow (Robert & Wenzel, 2005). The fields provide the approaches to understand the health of people through studying the culture, cultural symbols and economic and political impacts on a culture. The discussion in this essay will illustrate the exemplification of the works of Paul Farmer in the medical anthropology fields of ecological-epidemiological, critical and interpretivist approaches.
The work of Farmer and his team shows the importance of applying the ecological-epidemiological approach by considering the health factors that affect a society. Farmer and his team examine the risk factors for a society and make use of the data that help them understand the health phenomena of a community. Through the use of such methods, Farmer and the Partners in Health intervene in the most vulnerable and needy cases, such as their Haiti intervention (Kidder, 2003). The approach of the ecological-epidemiological field of anthropology provides anthropologist with frameworks of understanding the threats to health for a community (Robert & Wenzel, 2005). This field is clearly exemplified by the works of Farmer and the Partners in Health.
The work of Farmer and the Partners in Health shows importance of considering the critical field of medical anthropology by evaluating of political and economic consequences if the areas they visit. Taking the example of their work in Haiti, Farmer took a lot of significance on the economic impact the earthquake in the country (Kidder, 2003). This mostly influenced Farmer and the team to provide medical treatment for free in a hospital, they established, the PIH Hospital. This helps the people living in poverty in Haiti to access drugs and essential medical care (Kidder, 2003). Through the understanding of the economic state and the political inability of the country to take care of the injured and poor people in Haiti, Farmer was able to establish medical help for the locals.
More importantly, the work of Farmer and the Partners in Health exemplifies the best way to apply the interpervatist approach of medical anthropology to promote health. Farmer understood the cultural beliefs that lead to poor health and illness of people they treat. For instance, his work in Rwanda is successful because of his understanding of the cultural beliefs of the African country (Kidder, 2003). According to Robert and Wenzel (2005), the interpervatist approach, the field focuses on the understanding the health situation of a society by exploring their diseases as they relate to their culture. Through an emic perspective, an anthropologist explores the culture of a society and established the relationship between the cultural beliefs and practices and the health problems they face.
In conclusion, the works of Farmer and the Partners in Health team are extensive and have impacted on several parts of the world that many medical workers cannot. One of the reasons why Farmer has achieved this is by applying the essential approaches of medical anthropology. Through the adoption of the epidemiological approach, Farmer understands the risk factors that relate to the community he serves. Critical approach provides the understanding of the economic and political aspect of while the Interpervatist approach provides cultural perspectives of the societies he works at. Therefore, his work provides the most appropriate exemplification of the fields of medical anthropology.
References
Keiser, L. R. (1991). Friend by day, enemy by night: organized vengeance in a Kohistani community: Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology Series. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Publishers
Kidder, T. (2003). Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. New York: Random House, 2003
Robert, P., & Wenzel, G. (2005). Medical Anthropology: Understanding public health. New York: McGraw-Hill International