The Sufi shrine of Mira Datar in North Gujarat is a large pilgrimage centre specialising in healing possession and mental illness. It has become a site of experimenting with new forms of community care in the mental health sector. The film documents exchanges between various actors at the shrine and listens to the stories of the protagonists. It presents different views on the presumed causes of mental illness as well as on the benefit or non-benefit of medicine or ritual practices as perceived by patients and their relatives.
GTC Medical Anthropology Film and Discussion Group - Film Programme Trinity 2023
‘Encounters’: Conversations between biomedicine and traditional healing
3.30-5pm, Tuesdays (Weeks 2, 4 and 6 - online only in Week 6)
Convened by Dr Paola Esposito (paola.esposito@anthro.ox.ac.uk)
The GTC Medical Anthropology Film & Discussion Group explores the extent to which film can complement, enrich and further the study of medical anthropology themes, topics and methods. After watching selected clips, we discuss a film’s content and approach, and interrogate its capacity to support the analysis of issues relating to illness, crisis, health and wellbeing.
This term we focus on the theme of ‘‘Encounters’: Conversations between biomedicine and traditional healing.
