Donald Joralemon, Ph.D., Associate Professor
I began my professional career as a medical anthropologist studying a
traditional form of healing on the northern coast of Peru. This work
culminated in a co-authored book (with Douglas Sharon) titled Sorcery
and Shamanism: Curanderos and Clients in Northern Peru(University of
Utah Press, 1993). Next, I turned my attention to medical traditions
closer to home: organ transplantation in the United States. I have been
interested in how our culturally shaped understandings of self and death
are affected by a medical procedure that recylces body parts. This
research is included in my new textbook, Exploring Medical
Anthropology(Allyn and Bacon, 1999), and in "Organ Wars: The Battle
for Body Parts," an article published in 1995 in the journal Medical
Anthropology Quarterly.
At Smith College, I teach "Introduction to Cultural Anthropology," as well
as classes in medical and psychological anthropology. I offer a course on
"Native South Americans" as part of my work for the program in Latin
American Studies. For the past several years, I have served as Chair
of the Department of Anthropology. I am also an active member of the Five
College Program in Culture, Health and Science.
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