Faculty » T.S. Harvey
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Assistant Professor |
Broadly, Professor Harvey's work is grounded in linguistic and medical anthropology and it seeks a) to ethnographically follow rather than 'fix' the unfolding meanings emergent in human experience, b) to try to 'get the better' of the words that we use to describe culture, and c) to theoretically wrestle with the ineffable at the edge of language where things remain unsaid. These pursuits and theoretical concerns have led to the formulation of a new approach, what Professor Harvey calls, "the ethnography of polyphony," the focus of his current book project entitled, "The Unheard Voices of Maya Healing: Towards an Ethnography of Polyphony." Geographically, he has conducted research in Mexico, Guatemala and the US. He has written on topics ranging from the study of language use in health care to critiques of biomedical neocolonialism, the ethnography of communication, the study of Mesoamerican language and thought, cross-cultural conceptions of healing and the body, Maya peoples, cultures and religions, theory and the philosophy of language. His current research projects focus on indigenous (non-Western) forms of public health such as traveling medical salespeople in Guatemala.
In addition to these interests professor Harvey is also committed to improving health care through educating health practitioners in communicative and cultural competence, the translation of medical information, and the coordination of health and disaster relief efforts.
Recent publications include: "Cultural Issues in Health Communication" (2008, forthcoming), "Humbling, Frightening, and Exalting: An Experiential Acquaintance with Maya Healing" (2006), and "Ipseity, Alterity, and Community: The Tri-unity of K'iche' Maya Healing" (2006).