Medical pluralism reloaded

Abstract

This article examines if and how medical pluralism can be reconceptualised in light of the expansion of the borders of care, where people do not simply seek care nationally but transnationally. We draw on our own research on reproductive travels, medical remittances, the circulation of medicines in migrant’s personal networks and the revitalization of local healing traditions through globally active NGOs to shed light on the emergence of what we call a transnationally opportunity space. The article focuses on the analysis on new opportunities and restrictions which emerge through the existing global economic stratification, the diverging legal frameworks and regulations in different nation states and locations, and the different levels of health care governance.