Beyond Biomedicine: Traditional medicine as cultural heritage

Alex Riordan; John Schofield

doi:10.1080/13527258.2014.940368

Beyond Biomedicine: Traditional medicine as cultural heritage

Alex Riordan, John Schofield

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Over the past decade, intangible cultural heritage (hereafter, ICH), the significance which it possesses and the continuation of its myriad manifestations have reached unprecedented levels of recognition and attention on international and national policy agendas. Traditional Medicine (hereafter, TM) has long been included under the vast umbrella of ICH, yet there have been few attempts to explore that relationship. This paper examines the practical implications of applying the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage to TM, alongside the relationship of traditional medicine to the fields of human rights, public health and development. It considers, and reaches the conclusion that the cultural significance of traditional medicine combined with the fundamental principles of the Convention render the Convention significant in safeguarding traditional medicine for the future.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	280-299
Number of pages	20
Journal	International Journal of Heritage Studies
Volume	21
Issue number	3
Early online date	31 Jul 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2014.940368
Publication status	Published - 2015

Keywords

Traditional medicine
Intangible cultural heritage
UNESCO convention for the safeguarding of intangible heritage
South Africa

Access to Document

10.1080/13527258.2014.940368

Cite this

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AB - Over the past decade, intangible cultural heritage (hereafter, ICH), the significance which it possesses and the continuation of its myriad manifestations have reached unprecedented levels of recognition and attention on international and national policy agendas. Traditional Medicine (hereafter, TM) has long been included under the vast umbrella of ICH, yet there have been few attempts to explore that relationship. This paper examines the practical implications of applying the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage to TM, alongside the relationship of traditional medicine to the fields of human rights, public health and development. It considers, and reaches the conclusion that the cultural significance of traditional medicine combined with the fundamental principles of the Convention render the Convention significant in safeguarding traditional medicine for the future.

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