Research Area C Mind and Body (C3)
Asymmetrical Translations: Mind and Body in European and Indian Medicine
Project Leaders: William S. Sax
Project Members: Ananda Samir Chopra, Christoph Cyranski, Harish Naraindas, Johannes Quack
Our central hypothesis was that flows of ideas and practices deriving from the distinction between “mind” and “body” produced (and continue to produce) further theoretical, practical, pedagogical, and economic asymmetries between and among “Western” and "Indian" medicines. These asymmetries are exemplified as well as caused by practices of translation, which we understand to include not only textual translation, but also pedagogics and therapeutics. We tested this by looking at transnational flows within and between the quartet of biomedicine, Ayurveda, psychology / psychiatry and vernacular healing, basing our investigation on learned and popular texts, and the ethnography of clinical and vernacular healing practices.
Project C3 had a "Team Meeting" in Delhi. Team members Ananda Chopra, Johannes Quack, Bhargavi Davar and Christoph Cyranski were hosted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Study by Institute fellow Prof. William Sax and JNU Professor and team member Harish Naraindas. Also present were Prof. Dr. Silke Schicktanz (Medicine and Philosophy, Goettingen) and Cluster PhD student Sinjini Mukherji. Team members updated each other on their research and made plans for future activities.