Circulation and Governance of Asian Medicine

This book unpacks the organized sets of practices that govern contemporary Asian medicine, from production of medications in the lab to their circulation within circuits and networks of all kinds, and examines the plurality of actors involved in such governance.

Chapters analyze the process of industrialization and commercialization of Asian medicine and the ways in which the expansion of the market in Asian medicines has contributed to the inscription of products within a large system of governance, greatly dominated by global actors and the biomedical hegemony. At the same time, the contributors argue that local actors continue to play a major role in reshaping the regulations and their implementation, thus complexifying the trajectory of the remedies and their natures. Examining in particular the plurality of actors involved in governance and circulation, and the converging or conflicting logics actors follow in regard to negotiations and tensions that arise, the book brings a unique multi-layered contribution to the study of governance and circulation of Asian medicines, offering further proof of their fluidity and resilience.

Filling a significant gap in the market by addressing circulation and governance of Asian medicines in Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Singapore, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of Asian studies, Asian culture and society, global health, Asian medicine, and medical anthropology.

Céline Coderey is an Anthropologist and Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore.

Laurent Pordié is an Anthropologist and Senior Researcher with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS-CERMES3), France.