The Amchi at the Margins Notes on Childbirth practices in Ladakh

Laurent Pordié , Pascale Hancart Petitet (1)

1 TransVIHMI - Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les maladies infectieuses endémiques et émergentes

This chapter takes all that into account by considering the role of the practitioner of Tibetan medicine (amchi) in childbirth in two distinct settings of Ladakh, in north-western India. We will examine how birth occurred and how it was managed in the very isolated area of Shun Shade at the turn of the millennium and contrast this with material from the urban milieu in Leh, the capital city of the region. This comparison will allow us to explore the amchi’s position on the margins in both territorial/political and medical terms.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Laurent Pordié, Pascale Hancart Petitet. The Amchi at the Margins Notes on Childbirth practices in Ladakh. Healing at the Periphery: Ethnographies of Tibetan Medicine in India, Duke University Press, In press., , 2022. ⟨hal-03970045⟩