Travelling tales and migratory meanings: South Asian migrant women talk of place,health and healing

Geographers are bringing together narrative approaches and insights from cultural and feminist geography in building a body of work that examines the links between health, place and culture. This paper follows this direction in examining accounts of health and illness of South Asian migrant women living in British Columbia, Canada, using data from semi-structured interviews and a set of in-depth group interviews. The intent of the study was to explore how traditional medicine and indigenous medicine, as subjugated knowledges, were in tension or integrated with western medicine in the women's approaches to keeping healthy and managing illness. Analysis of the accounts shows intricate relationships among the body, food, place and identity. It is argued that these relationships are integral to the ongoing constitution of subjectivities and place in the context of the rapidly growing urban centres of the study. The paper concludes with comment on how this type of analysis of health and illness ‘talk’ de-medicalizes immigrants’ health behaviour, instead placing it within wider issues of integration and inclusion confronting racialized immigrant groups.

Les récits de voyage et les significations migratoires: des femmes immigrées de l'Asie du Sud s'entretiennent sur le lieu, la santé et la guérison

femmes immigrées, santé, alimentation, guérison traditionnelle, lieu, identité

Les géographes combinent des approches fondées sur le récit et des connaissances issues d'un corpus en géographie culturelle et féministe élaboré afin d'étudier les rapports entre la santé, le lieu et la culture. Dans cette foulée, l'article poursuit par une étude de récits sur la santé et la maladie tenus par des femmes immigrées de l'Asie du Sud et installées en Colombie Britannique (Canada). Les données sont tirées des résultats d'entrevues semi structurées et d'une série d'entrevues en profondeur menées en groupe. L'étude avait pour objectif d'explorer de quelles façons la médecine traditionnelle et la médecine indigène, définies comme des connaissances subjuguées, sont mises en tension ou intégrées à la médecine occidentale par les moyens déployés par les femmes pour se maintenir en santé et gérer la maladie. L'analyse des récits permet de montrer des relations complexes entre le corps, les aliments, le lieu et l'identité. Il est suggéré que ces relations sont indispensables à l'élaboration continuelle des subjectivités et du lieu dans un contexte d'étude caractérisé par une urbanisation rapide. En conclusion, l'article propose des commentaires sur la manière dont ce genre d'analyse de «discussion» sur la santé et la maladie permet de démédicaliser les comportements de santé des immigrants et plutôt de la situer par rapport aux enjeux plus considérables concernant l'intégration et l'insertion de groupes d'immigrants racialisés.

Cuentos de viaje y significados migratorios: mujeres inmigrantes del sur de Asia hablan de lugar, salud y curas

mujer inmigrante, salud, comida, curas tradicionales, lugar, identidad

Los geógrafos han juntado enfoques e ideas narrativos de las geografías de cultura y feminismo para crear un conjunto de trabajo que examina los vínculos entre salud, lugar y cultura. Este papel sigue esta dirección al examinar relatos de salud y enfermedad de las mujeres inmigrantes del sur de Asia que viven en British Columbia, Canadá. Hace uso de información recopilada de entrevistas semi-estructuradas y de entrevistas exhaustivas con grupos de mujeres. El objetivo del estudio era explorar la manera en que la medicina tradicional y la medicina indígena, como conocimientos subyugados, estaban en conflicto con, o integraban con la medicina occidental en cuanto al modo en que las mujeres mantenían la salud y trataban las enfermedades. El análisis de los relatos indica relaciones intricadas entre el cuerpo, la comida, lugar e identidad. Se sugiere que estas relaciones son esenciales a la constitución de subjetividades y lugar que continúa en el contexto de los centros urbanos cada vez más grandes donde tuvo lugar la investigación. El papel concluye con un comentario sobre el modo en que este tipo de análisis del diálogo sobre salud y enfermedad saca del campo de la medicina el comportamiento de las inmigrantes con relación a su salud, juntándolo con cuestiones más amplias de integración e inclusión que los grupos de inmigrantes racializados enfrentan.     

Characterization of a current coprogenic sample originated by Canis lupus as a tool for identifying a taphonomic agent

We study a skeletal sample digested by Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in order to finding diagnostic features of digestion caused by this agent. The remains were taken from scats collected in different natural areas in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. We tested different methods to recover the remains with the goal of not produce biases, and we evaluated the most appropriate methods. The results were compared with those reported by other authors who have also worked with samples digested by wolves. Bias during the procurement of the skeletal assemblages seems to be a significant cause of the differences observed between the samples. We found that it was necessary to fully recover all remains and individually analyze all modifications, even in small-sized remains. Taphonomic characterization was performed by analyzing physical and biochemical modifications. We believe that these results may be useful in the study of archaeological and paleontological assemblages.     

Swidden agriculture,village longevity,and social relations in Formative central Tlaxcala: Towards an understanding of macroregional structure

Understanding social change within early village societies requires analysis at multiple scales. In this paper, we focus on macroregional structure in the Formative era of Central Mexico, based on excavations at village sites in Tlaxcala. A macroregional scale is particularly important for contextualizing developments in the study region. Rapid political evolution after 900 BC built on a legacy of organizational innovations in settled communities to the south. The earliest farmers in central Tlaxcala practiced a system of swidden agriculture developed at lower-lying elevations. Practiced on the erodible slopes of central Tlaxcala, that system led to the widespread degradation of farmland. Consequences at the village scale involved chronic instability of settlement and recurring localized stress on faunal resources.     

Dietary analysis of Piraino 1, Sicily,Italy: the role of archaeopalynology in forensic science

Pollen from intestinal contents of mummies, backed by macrofloral analysis, provides important clues to diet, medicines, and season of death. Intestinal contents were recovered from the Piraino 1 mummy from the “Sepulcher of the Priests”, Piraino Mother Church, in the province of Messina, Sicily. Using standard palynological methods and pollen concentration technique, we quantified the numbers of pollen grains per gram of coprolite. The pollen spectrum was dominated by Polygalaceae, the Milkwort Family. Polygalaceae pollen is rarely found in archaeological sites. Based on comparison to published keys, we determined that the pollen came from a species of Polygala. Polygala contains species with medicinal value. We found nine other pollen types. Traces of Potamogeton (pondweed) was observed in preliminary scans. Multiple grains of Brassicaceae (mustard family), cereal (cultivated grains), Typha (cattail) and Cheno-am were found. Single grains of Castanea (chestnut), Fabaceae (bean family), Salix (willow), and Solanaceae (tomato family) were found. The preservation of the pollen was poor except for Polygala and the cereal pollen. Brassicaceae and Cheno-am have been part of the natural pollen spectrum in Sicily since ancient times. Cereal grains were consumed with prepared food. Importantly, background arboreal pollen was nearly absent. This indicates that Piraino 1 died during months of low pollination. The absence of olive pollen is important since this plant in Sicily reaches its maximum pollination in May and June and tapers off rapidly by mid-June. Therefore, absence of the key warm season airborne pollen type suggests a post-June death. Macrofossils, especially residue from grape pulp, indicates a death in September to November. His cause of death was likely a result of multiple myeloma. The methodological differences between archaeopalynology and forensic palynology are summarized. We suggest that the palynological methods presented here should be adopted for human remains analysis in forensic palynology.     

Osteophagia and dental wear in herbivores: actualistic data and archaeological evidence

The ability of herbivores to produce damage in bones and antlers has recently been described by the present authors (Cáceres et al., 2011), showing several cases of modified bones and various stages of bone modification due to osteophagic behavior by herbivores. Herbivores chew and eat bones and antlers to make up for mineral scarcity in their diet. In this paper we describe how the consumption of bone and antlers by herbivore can result in distinct differential tooth wear, breakage and the loss of some dental pieces. This damage has also been identified in fossils. These preliminary results are especially relevant in archaeological contexts, because this marked tooth wear can be mistaken for dental disease or lead to the incorrect assignment of age to the animals.     

魁北克VS蒙特利尔——早春双城记

我牢记在心 我是在百合花下出生 却在玫瑰花下成长…… 这段小诗．在加拿大最东边的魁北克省境内,恐怕是最知名的文字了,原文是法语．第一句“Je Me Souviens”,翻译成英文就是“I do remember”,这也是每一块魁北克省车牌上出现的唯一文字。小诗里提到的百合花是法国的象征,而玫瑰是英国的象征。     

Feminist geography,the ‘everyday’, and local–global relations: hidden spaces of place‐making*

An interest in the taken‐for‐granted, mundane routine activities of women's lives has long been central to the production of knowledge in feminist geography. Here, I revisit the ‘everyday’ in relation to changing lines of inquiry as geographers work to capture the complexity of local–global relations in conceptualising an accelerated pace of the stretching of social relations over space. Through a primary focus on feminist work on care in the home, I explore the various ways in which the meanings and organisation of caregiving activity are intricately connected with the intertwining of globalisation, neoliberalism, social conservatism and a ‘greying’ population in the West. Foregrounding gender in my discussion, I review literature and draw on research examples to illustrate ways in which various types of ‘hidden’ caregiving contribute to contemporary place‐making, and open up our understanding of the ‘local’.