Border Medicine: A Transcultural History of Mexican American Curanderismo (North American Religions)

Amazon.com Price: $24.00 (as of 06/05/2019 01:36 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

Mexican American folk and non secular healing, regularly known as curanderismo, has been a vital a part of life in the Mexico-U.S. border region for centuries. A hybrid tradition made up primarily of indigenous and Iberian Catholic pharmacopeias, rituals, and notions of the self, curanderismo treats the sick person with quite a few healing modalities including herbal remedies, intercessory prayer, body massage, and energy manipulation. Curanderos, “healers,” embrace a holistic understanding of the patient, including body, soul, and community.
 
Border Medicine examines the ongoing evolution of Mexican American religious healing from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. Illuminating the ways in which curanderismo has had an have an effect on not only on the health and culture of the borderlands but also far beyond, the book tracks its expansion from Mexican American communities to Anglo and multiethnic contexts. Whilst many healers treat Mexican and Mexican American clientele, a significant number of curanderos have worked with patients from other ethnic groups as well, especially those involved in North American metaphysical religions like spiritualism, mesmerism, New Thought, New Age, and energy-based alternative medicines. Hendrickson explores this point of contact as an experience of transcultural exchange.
 
Drawing on historical archives, colonial-era medical texts and accounts, early ethnographies of the region, newspaper articles, memoirs, and recent healing guidebooks in addition to interviews with recent healers, Border Medicine demonstrates the notable and ongoing influence of Mexican Americans on cultural and non secular practices in the USA, especially in the American West.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Americas » Central America » Border Medicine: A Transcultural History of Mexican American Curanderismo (North American Religions)

Recent Products