|
|
Sleep in the Arms of Anthropology: Social and Cultural Context of Narrowed Consciousness
Šťastná, Hana ; Samek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Abu Ghosh, Yasar (referee)
This thesis deals with the phenomenon of sleeping and its variations. It is the outcome of long-term field research and participant observation. At the core of my research is a sleep laboratory from which I freely venture into other fields. I draw not only on a number of interviews and observations but I also reflect upon my own physical experience with various sleeping modes or gained from the position of both the subject and supervisor of sleep medicine. By way of employing qualitative research methods I map the sphere of sleep as a social construct and its embedding as a value. I furthermore try to see how much the social construct of sleep can be influenced. I focus on the issue of the current value of sleep and the impacts on the formation of the social construct of sleep by society and a specific time period. I try to switch the perspective, too: my goal is to identify whether sleep is such a resistant phenomenon on the grounds of its biological essence so that it can withstand or at least moderate these forces. I take a theoretical recourse to medical anthropology and use it as my initial perspective. I employ the concept of biopower and risk society, as well as the methodology of carnal anthropology. Due to its inconspicuousness and hiddenness, I consider the phenomenon of sleep and other...
|
|
|
Homebirth as Actor-Network
Genttnerová, Kristýna ; Grygar, Jakub (advisor) ; Šanderová, Jadwiga (referee)
Homebirth as Actor-Network: Multiple realities The topic of this medical anthropology thesis is a description of homebirth seen through the eyes of Actor-Network Theory. The focus of this work is thus not on the professional concept of homebirth as a biological process or soon-to-be-mothers experience and take on homebirth. Focus is on homebirth in itself, how it is enacted in practice. After the presentation of two points of view on medicine (disease and illness), an introduction into the basic principles and innovations of ANT (including anthropology of symmetry) and works of people, who build their ideas on it (Mol - multiplicity, De Laet - fluidity, Law), the thesis shifts its focus to the description of the whole actor- network, which enacts homebirth via interaction between the actors in practice. These practices are abstracted from the interviews with mothers, a dula and a paediatrician. The description includes people and objects, because according to ANT, they have the same amount of social agency. Homebirth is then enacted by the objects needed for homebirth - tools to make birth easier and to support its process, by people who partake, venues it takes place and the birthing positions it brings. Another part of the actor-network can be found before the homebirth happens - the hunt for information...
|
|
|
Total Home: Care and Social Life in Psychiatric Institution
Tichý, Mikuláš ; Abu Ghosh, Yasar (advisor) ; Klepal, Jaroslav (referee)
The thesis is based on three months of participant observation in a long-term care facility in 2010 and interviews conducted during next three years. It draws from a perspectives of medical anthropology and anthropology of institutions. The focus is on an ethnography of institution for clients with chronic mental disease, dementia and substance abuse. The thesis is mapping institution's components and actors, their social life and relationships in the institution. The analyses is based upon the concept of total institution by Erving Goffman, and draws from thoughts of Josef Pieper, Martin Buber, Emanuel Lévinas and Michel Foucault. A long-term facility is an institution, which shares clients and some of problems with classical examples of total institutions, but recent reforms aimed to minimalize features of total institutions. Still it does not seem to be a vital institution and new aspects of social situation of staff and clients are recognized. Among new problems is non-existence of therapy for the inhabitants, their marginalization through poor financial situation in an institution, where lot of services are paid and little continuity to other forms of care of more community and ambulant character. Key words: total institution, long-term facility, psychiatric care, medical anthropology,...
|
|
|
Becoming a doctor from the viewpoint of anthropologist
Rebendová, Eva ; Halbich, Marek (advisor) ; Hrešanová, Ema (referee)
This paper is about a process of a nascency of new doctors, and how it is possible to approach this topic from the viewpoint of social anthropologist. As a starting point, I use actor-network theory, which is one of the social science paradigms focusing on materiality. I consider it (on the basis of work by Bruno Latour and other scholars, who are dealing with this field), to be a remarkable actor in matters connected with human action, and thus an appropriate subject for an anthropological inquiry. Since the topic concerns medicine in the Czech Republic nowadays, I contribute to the knowledge of medical anthropology, which does not have such a strong academic base here as in the Anglo-Saxon world. Special attention is dedicated to a detailed description of activities leading to the formation of the text of this thesis. Reflexivity, on which I put emphasis, shall serve as the foundation of the context of genesis of an anthropological knowledge and also to describe the ethical concerns of the research. The main methods are observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews with twelve informants, who were medicine students or medicine faculty graduates.
|
|
|
Homebirth as Actor-Network
Genttnerová, Kristýna ; Grygar, Jakub (advisor) ; Kabele, Jiří (referee)
Homebirth as Actor-Network: Multiple realities The topic of this medical anthropology thesis is a description of homebirth seen through the eyes of Actor-Network Theory. The focus of this work is thus not on the professional concept of homebirth as a biological process or soon-to-be-mothers experience and take on homebirth. Focus is on homebirth in itself, how it is enacted via interactions of actors in network. After the presentation of two points of view on medicine (disease and illness), an introduction into the basic principles and innovations of ANT (including anthropology of symmetry), into the works of people, who build their ideas on it (Mol - multiplicity, De Laet - fluidity, Law) and the presentation of the current birthing situation in the Czech Republic, the thesis shifts its focus to the description of the whole actor-network, which enacts homebirth via interaction between the actors in practice. These practices are abstracted from the interviews with mothers, a dula and a paediatrician. The description includes people and objects, because according to ANT, they have the same amount of social agency. Homebirth is then enacted by the objects needed for homebirth - tools to make birth easier and to support its process, by people who partake, venues it takes place in and the birthing positions it...
|
guest ::
