Pharmaceuticals

Anthropology looks at pharmaceuticals as social and cultural phenomena. It is interested in the relationship between human beings and the medicines they produce, sell, prescribe, and consume. This entry describes the history of pharmaceutical anthropology, the “biography” and “social life” of pharmaceuticals, and the most prominent concepts and perspectives in the study of pharmaceuticals, including critical medical anthropology, agency, pharmaceuticalization, self‐medication, commodification, globalization, pharmaceutical symbolism, and resistance toward the use of pharmaceuticals. Three long‐lasting debates related to pharmaceuticals are presented: the role of the industry, the placebo effect, and the controversy about the efficacy of traditional/alternative versus biomedical medicines. Lastly, the practical relevance of anthropological research of pharmaceuticals is discussed.