The Role of Historical-Cultural Formations within World-Systems Analysis: Reframing the Analysis of Biomedicine in East Africa

Authors

  • David Baronov St. John Fisher College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2009.317

Abstract

This essay introduces a novel analytical concept for world-systems analysis, historical-cultural formations, for the purpose of analyzing reciprocal global cultural exchanges across the capitalist world-system. This is done through four basic procedures. First, the perspective of world-systems analysis is adopted for the purpose of analyzing biomedicine in world-historical context and biomedicine itself is re-conceptualized as a historical-cultural formation across a single capitalist world-system. Second, in order to conceptually incorporate historical-cultural formations, the basic analytical framework of world-systems analysis is expanded to include cultural forms as integral features of the capitalist world-system, parallel with economic and political structures. Third, biomedicine is framed as an ontological whole, comprised of multiple, embedded ontological spheres that define it as a dynamic cultural form subject to ongoing change and development. Fourth, biomedicine?s journey to East Africa is framed as a facet of East Africa?s incorporation into the capitalist world-system ? a necessary prelude to the ?globalization? of biomedicine as a historical-cultural formation. Ultimately, contemporary East African medical systems are discovered to be but the latest incarnation of an evolving, global biomedicine ? understood as a singular historical-cultural formation across the capitalist world-system.

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Published

2009-08-26

How to Cite

Baronov, D. (2009). The Role of Historical-Cultural Formations within World-Systems Analysis: Reframing the Analysis of Biomedicine in East Africa. Journal of World-Systems Research, 15(2), 147–166. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2009.317

Issue

Volume 15, Issue 2, 2009

Section

General Section

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