The Commoditization of Ayurvedic Medicines: Anthropological Research on the Modernization of Indian Medicine

10/05/2007 - 17:00 10 May 2007
16:00 hrs.

University Leiden
Nonnensteeg 1-3, Zaal 417
Leiden, the Netherlands

Lecture by Dr Maarten Bode

In the lecture I will look at Ayurveda through the lens of the industry and their medical products, and highlight Ayurveda as a commercial activity. I will describe and analyse in what ways the logic of the market has shaped, constrained and transformed Ayurveda. The following questions will be answered. What kind of Ayurvedic medicines dominates the Indian market? To whom and how are these marketed and what are the images used by the industry to promote their products? Large Ayurvedic manufacturers employ modern science and technology to create a competitive edge and distance themselves from the image of backwardness that also sticks to Indian medical traditions. How can we explain that the usage of these "Western things" does not undermine the Indianness of Ayurvedic medicines?

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Nonnensteeg 1-3, Zaal 417
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