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6047 Silsby Hall
Hanover, NH 03755
Phone: 603-646-9356
Fax: 603-646-1140
sienna.r.craig@
dartmouth.edu
I am a medical and cultural anthropologist whose research and teaching
focuses on non-western medical systems, social studies of science,
international development studies, and global health as well as
professionalization, expertise, and modes of knowledge transmission. I also
have an abiding interest in studies of ethnicity and identity, including
experiences of diaspora and exile. Some of my work has focused on pastoral
communities at moments of socio-economic change. I have conducted fieldwork in
Nepal, India, and Tibet, as well as among Nepali and Tibetan communities living
in the United States. I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, and received
my B.A. in Religious Studies from Brown University (1995) and my Ph.D. from
Cornell University (2006).
I first traveled to Nepal in 1993, on an undergraduate study abroad program,
and have been returning to this part of the world ever since. From 1995-96 I
was a Fulbright scholar in Nepal. During this time, I pursued ethnographic
fieldwork in ethnically Tibetan communities in northwestern Nepal, on the
border with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), China. This work centered on
ethnoveterinary practices and human-animal interactions, with a specific focus
on the role of the horse in local culture and economy, as well as in religious
symbolism and ritual practice. The research I conducted at this time forms the
basis of my forthcoming ethnographic memoir, Horses Like Lightning: A Story of
Passage Through the Himalayas (Wisdom Publications, 2008).
In my dissertation, I explore the possibilities of defending and
transforming a non-Western medico-social system - Tibetan medicine - in the
face of many changes and challenges. In particular, I discuss the
standardization, commoditization, and industrial production of Tibetan
medicines and the application of biomedically-oriented clinical research
methods to the evaluation of these medicines. This work also discusses the
implications of these changes on Tibet's landscape and its people, illustrating
some of the socio-economic, ethical, and epistemological challenges in
transforming this 'traditional medicine' for mass markets and different types
of patients. From 2002-2004, I collaborated on a multi-disciplinary research
project based in Lhasa, Tibet, which was funded by the National Institutes of
Health (NIH/NICHD) and the Gates Foundation. This project focused on maternal
and child health, and has included the first randomized controlled clinical
trial of a Tibetan medicine in the TAR.I am currently developing on a new
research project that will be a multi-sited ethnographic investigation of
clinical trials that have been conducted on Tibetan medicines in China, India,
Europe and the United States. Since 2001, I have been conducting fieldwork and
have been engaged in a number of collaborative, 'applied' research endeavors
with practitioners of Tibetan medicine in Nepal. My next book project will
focus on this research, particularly my work with the Himalayan Amchi
Association, a Kathmandu-based NGO. I am also the co-founder of Drokpa (www.drokpa.org), a non-profit organization
whose mission is to partner with pastoral communities in the Himalaya and
Central Asia to implement grassroots development and catalyze social
entrepreneurship. I also serve on the advisory board of OneHEART (www.onehearttibet), an organization
dedicated to saving the lives of Tibetan women and children, one birth at a
time.
Recent Publications
- In Press (2008): “Place and Professionalization: Navigating Amchi Identity
in Nepal.” In L. Pordié, ed. The World of Tibetan Medicine: Contemporary
Trends in the Politics of Medical Knowledge and Practice, London:
Routledge.
- In Press (2008): “From Butter Tea to Pepsi: A Rapid Appraisal of Food
Preferences, Procurement Sources, and Dietary Diversity in a Contemporary
Tibetan Township.” Authors: T. Dickerson, D. Fernandez, Topgyal, A. Samen,
Geleg, Nyima, G. Pelto, S. Craig, T. Dye. Ecology of Food
and Nutrition.
- 2007: “Informed Consent in Cross Cultural Perspective: The Case of Clinical
Research in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), PRC.” Authors: V. Adams, S.
Miller, S. Craig. P.V. Le, et al. Culture, Medicine and
Psychiatry.
- 2007: “Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of Hospital Vaginal Deliveries in
Tibet.” Authors: S. Miller, C. Tudor, Nyima, V.R. Thorsten, Sonam, Droyoung,
S. Craig, P. Le, L.L. Wright, M.W. Varner. International
Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 98, pp. 217-221.
- 2007: “A Crisis of Confidence: A Comparison Between Tibetan Medical
Education in Nepal and Tibet.” In M. Schrempf, ed. Soundings in Tibetan
Medicine: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives. Proceedings from
the 10th International Association of Tibetan Studies Meetings.
Amsterdam: Brill, pp. 127-154.
- 2006: “Windhorses and Dharma Warriors: The religious, historical, and
cultural significance of horse protection rituals in Mustang, Nepal,” In S.
Olsen, ed. Horses and Humans: Proceedings from International Symposium on
Horse and Human Relationships, Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, pp.
339-354.
- 2005: “Having a Safe Delivery: Conflicting Views from Tibet.” Authors: V.
Adams, S. Miller, S. Craig, J. Chertow, A. Samen, M. Varner,
Health Care for Women International, 26(9): 821-851.
- 2005: “Challenges of Clinical Research in a Cross-Cultural Setting: Case
Studies from Lhasa, Tibet.” Authors: V. Adams, S. Miller, S.
Craig, M. Varner, Medical Anthropology Quarterly,
19(3).
- 2005: “A Tale of Two Temples: Culture, Capital, and Community in Mustang,
Nepal.” European Bulletin of Himalayan Research, Issue 27.
- 2004: Tibetan Medicine in Contemporary Tibet: Health and Health Care,
vol. 2. London: Tibet Information Network
- 2004: “Himalayan Healers in Transition: Professionalization, Identity, and
Conservation among practitioners of gso ba rig pa in Nepal.” In
Proceedings from Workshop on Wise Practices of Medicinal Plant use in the
Himalaya. Kathmandu: WWF Nepal Program.
- 2002: “Place, Work, and Identity between Mustang, Nepal and New York
City,” Studies in Nepali History and Society, Mandala Book Point:
Kathmandu, Nepal, 7(2): 355-403.
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