NEWS

2023.01.17

The 11th AJI Book Launch was held! Dr. Nara ODA talked about her book, Invented Traditional Medicine: A History of Medical Policy in Vietnam.

On December 7, 2022, the 11th AJI Book Launch was held online. This time, Dr. Nara ODA (Lecturer, Center for Global Language and Society Education, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies; Visiting Fellow, Asia-Japan Research Institute, Ritsumeikan University) presented her book, Invented Traditional Medicine: A History of Medical Policy in Vietnam (2022, Kyoto University Press).

This book discusses traditional medicine in Vietnam, specifically tracing back to the French colonial period in which the concept of “traditional medicine” in Vietnam was clarified after the introduction of Western medicine, and elucidates how traditional medicine has played a role in health care policy to this day. Based on historical documents and interviews, this book also discusses how and why traditional medicine has been positioned in Vietnam’s healthcare system throughout historical phases; the French colonial period, the independence period after 1945, the era of the North-South divide, and the post-unification era. Through this book, the complex aspects of what is the “traditional” are revealed through reexamining the meaning pertaining to the concept of traditional medicine.

In the Q&A, participants discussed some important issues such as the language and current status of education about traditional medicine in Vietnam, as well as the knowledge that women possessed and their place in the medical system that has been developed up to the present day. Throughout this book launch, all participants could share a meaningful facts and views on the topic of her book. We, the AJI, would like to thank all those who participated.

Dr. Oda talking about her book