Anthropologist to activist: Paul Farmer's changing perspectives on cultural difference and human rights

Abstract

This paper outlines shifting perspectives in Paul Farmer's work with regard to cultural difference and human rights. It describes Farmer's critique of medical anthropology's focus on culture to the detriment of economic factors, and his critique of cultural relativism being used as an alibi for different standards of medical care. The paper uses Farmer's work to discuss the relevance of cultural analysis in medical anthropology and argues for an approach that allows for complexity, for focusing on both economic and structural factors as well as cultural. It finally argues that Farmer's suggestion of reconceptualising health as a human right, while important, could become another way of managing deepening inequalities if it is not seen in conjunction with a quest for social justice.

Keywords:

• medical anthropology
• structural violence
• inequality
• poverty
• cultural difference
• cultural relativism
• human rights