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MAAH is a network of medical anthropologists who do research in their own culture and society. The network’s aim is to bring together medical anthropologists in order to discuss theoretical, methodological and practical issues in relation to health and culture.

The network has an international scientific Advisory Committee, consisting of:

  • Mette Bech RISOR (University of Tromsø, Norway)
  • Bernhard HADOLT (University of Vienna, Austria)
  • Angel MARTINEZ-HERNAEZ (University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain)
  • Ivo QUARANTA (University of Bologna, Italy)

After Sylvie Fainzang, Mette Bech Risor is now the scientific coordinator of the network.

The network has been established in 1998 during the 1st Conference of Medical Anthropology at Home (Zeist, The Netherlands), on the initiative of late Els van Dongen and Sjaak van der Geest, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Some contributions of this conference are published in Anthropology & Medicine 5/3, special issue ("Creating Distance"), Vol. 5/3, edited by Els van Dongen and Sylvie Fainzang.

The network meets approximately every two years to present and discuss recent work.
The 2nd conference was in Tarragona, Spain in 2001. The themes were "The contribution of medical anthropology to anthropology” and “Liturgies and rituals in medicine".

The 3rd conference was held in Perugia (Italy) in 2003, on the theme: "Medical Anthropology, Welfare State and Political Engagement".

The 4th conference took place in Seili (Finland) in 2006, on the theme: "Coming Home: From biomedicine to everyday health issues".

The 5th conference in Sandbjerg (Denmark) in 2008, was on the theme: "Medical anthropology, health care systems and the client society. Investigating interactions of practice, power and science".

The 6th conference took place in Royaumont Abbaye (France) in 2010, on the theme: "Transformations of the body and social uses of symptoms between local and global".

The 7th in Driebergen (Netherlands) in 2012, was on "New Socialities and Subjectivities in Health Care in the 21st Century".

The 8th Conference took place in 2014 in Bologna-Bertinoro (Italy), on the theme: "Assemblages, transformations and the politics of care".

The 9th Conference took place in Malangen Brygger, near Tromsø (Norway) in June 2016. The theme was: "Configurations of diagnostic processes, practices and evidence".

The 10th Conference took place in Poblet (Spain) in October 2018. The theme was: “Subjectivities and afflictions: agency, health systems and the politics of/for life”.

The 11th Conference was to take place in Austria in May 2020, on the theme: “Transfigurations of Uncertainty in Health and Medicine”.  Due to the health crisis, it has been postponed to October 2021 (from October 7 to October 10). Contact: bernhard.hadolt(at)univie.ac.at


The conferences are followed by the publication of edited peer-reviewed books or Journal issues:

  • Medical Anthropology at Home: creating distance, E. van Dongen & S. Fainzang eds, Anthropology and Medicine, Vol 5, n°3, 1998.
Medical Anthropology at Home. creating distance Anthropology and Medicine 
  • Health, State and Politics ("Medical Anthropology, Welfare State and Political Engagement" 1), Fainzang S., Schirripa P., Comelles J.M., Van Dongen E. (eds), Antropologia medica, Roma, Argo, 2009.
Health State and Politics Medical Anthropology Welfare State and Political Engagement 1 
  • Care and Management of Illness and Distress ("Medical Anthropology, Welfare State and Political Engagement" 2), Schirripa P., Fainzang S., Van Dongen E., Comelles J.M. (eds), Antropologia medica, Roma, Argo, 2009.
Care and management antropologica medica II 
  • The Taste for Knowledge: Medical Anthropology Facing Medical Realities, Fainzang S., Hem H.E, BechRisor M. (eds), Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2010.
 The-Taste-for-Knowledge-cover
 Of-Bodies-and-Symptoms-cover
  • Emerging Socialities in 21st Century Health Care, Hadolt B., Hardon A. (eds), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2017.
 Emerging-Socialities-cover
 Diagnostic-Fluidity-cover
  • Assemblages, Transformations, and the Politics of Care, Quaranta I., Minelli M., Fortin S.(eds), Bologna: Bononia University Press, 2018.
assemblages-transformations-and-the-politics-of-care


MAAH has a mailing list. You can subscribe to this list by contacting Mette Bech Risor [<Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.]