Survival of Indigenous Healing Systems in Colonial India

We will study the efforts of traditional physicians to preserve their Indigenous healing system against the oppressive forces of western colonialism. Ayurveda is one of the oldest holistic healing systems in the world and has been practiced in India for more than 2,000 years. However, under the British rule and the spread of colonial medicine Ayurveda was discredited and demoralized. Our hypothesis is that to safeguard their Indigenous knowledges and practices, traditional physicians turned into entrepreneurs and focused on industrializing the production of pharmaceutical products as a path to protecting Ayurvedic medicine. Their success was key to the development of the medical pluralism policy in India and for the World Health Organization recommendation for the integration of traditional medicine into national health care systems to achieve universal health coverage. Their experience can help us reflect on Indigenous healing systems in Canada and what can be done to ensure the survivance (survival + endurance) of traditional knowledges and their use for the benefit of Canadian citizens.

Faculty Supervisor:

Diego Coraiola

Student:

Partner:

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals; Indigenous Affairs

University:

University of Victoria

Program: