A Study On The Service Of Miao Doctors From The Perspective Of Economic Anthropology ——Miao Herbalist In Anlong County,Guizhou Province As The Object

This paper takes Anlong County,Guizhou Province as the field point,takes three local fairs as the center and Miao Doctors as the object of the study,and uses the methods of participation,observation,in-depth interview and literature research to interpret the medical services provided by Miao Doctors from the perspective of economic anthropology.Besides the introduction,the paper is divided into four chapters.The first chapter describes the cultural habitat of local Miao Doctors,which foreshadows the following chapters.The second chapter first explains Miao Doctors from the perspectives of medicine,culture,economics and economic anthropology,and then introduces the practice of Miao Doctors,that is,the cognition,classification and treatment about various diseases,as well as the introduction of ritual treatment,so as to expose the culture,ethnic characteristic and pursuit of economic interests in Miao Doctors’ practice.The third chapter,from the perspective of patients,explains the choices of patients when they go to a doctor,and discusses the social network relationship of consumers seeking Miao Doctors from two aspects: economy and culture.The fourth chapter introduces the economic activity place and practice of Miao Doctors,meanwhile discusses the local patients and the patients from outside,and analyzes the relationship between the market circle and the circle of diagnosis and treatment given by Miao Doctors.This paper holds that Miao Doctors,through providing medical services combining medicine knowledge of Miao with traditional Chinese and Western medicine,drug treatment and ritual treatment,carries out economic activities in ethnic minority areas with strong cultural beliefs.In addition,they provide medical services for consumers in need in three regular markets in a mobile way.The periodicity of markets is conducive to this economic activity,which not only decreases the cost for Miao Doctors,but also obtains them considerable economic benefits.In the process of treatment,Miao Doctors’ identity is changed according to the needs of consumers,so as to meet their needs.This way of practicing medicine has become a unique economic behavior of Miao Doctors’ and also a unique signature of their economicactivities.The low price and simple treatment process attract the consumers in need.For consumers,the medical services provided by Miao Doctors not only relieves them from the disease,but also decreases the cost of price and time.Meanwhile,the market circle overlaps with the circle of diagnosis and treatment given by Miao Doctors,and tends to extend,expanding the scope of consuming Miao Doctors,and making this cultural medical service more acceptable to the external world.Concurrently,the medicine practice of Miao Doctors exists in the unique cultural circle.Although it’s as a kind of culture,the local people are not aware of its cultural attribute,so it is difficult to explain the choice of Miao Doctors from the perspective of economic rationality.In the economic activities of Miao Doctors,there are not only rational factors,but also ethnic culture,belief,social concept and other cultural factors embedded in it.Therefore,this paper studies Miao Doctors’ economic activities as a cultural phenomenon or behavior,learning the effects of it on the local society,and explains from the perspective of economic anthropology that Miao Doctors,as an "economic person" who provides medical services not only for profit,but also for the transmission of the culture of Miao and the display of its cultural charm,to better understand the influence of cultural belief and economic rationality on consumers’ behavior of going to a doctor.This paper is intended to illustrate that the economic activities of ethnic minorities can not be separated from culture,and economic activities is embedded in culture.The two is complementary,not opposite for each other.