Shamanic Healing or Scientific Treatment?—Transformation of Khorchin Mongolian Bone-Setting in China
Religions July 14, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/rel14070910 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe paper examines Khorchin Mongolian bone-setting to show that religious healing and modern medicine are not in binary opposition. It argues that this bone-setting practice is a product of interaction between alternative medicine and syncretistic local knowledge, and explores the transformation of shamanisms within China's nation-state building discourse.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine History |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Argues that the relationship between shamanic healing and modern medicine is not a binary opposition, and that Khorchin Mongolian bone-setting is a product of the interaction between alternative medicine and syncretistic local knowledge. |
Abstract
This paper, taking the medical practice of Khorchin Mongolian bone-setting as an example, examines the conflict and connection between religious healing and modern (or Western) medicine as well as the transformation of shamanisms in the discourse of nation-state building in China, and argues that the relationship between shamanic healing and modern medicine is not a binary opposition. Khorchin Mongolian bone-setting is the product of the interaction between alternative medicine and syncretistic local knowledge.