title: Traditional acupuncturists and higher education in Britain: the dual, paradoxical impact of biomedical alignment on the holistic view.
abstract: Traditional acupuncturists' quest for external legitimacy in Britain involves the standardization of their knowledge bases through the development of training schools and syllabi, formal educational structures, and, since the 1990s, the teaching of undergraduate courses within (or validated by) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), a process which entails biomedical alignment of the curriculum. However, as holistic discourses were commonly used as a rhetorical strategy by CAM practitioners to distance themselves from biomedicine and as a source of public appeal, this 'mainstreaming' process evoked practitioners' concerns that their holistic claims are being compromised. An additional challenge is being posed by a group of academics and scientists in Britain who launched an attack on CAM courses taught in HEIs, accusing them of being 'unscientific' and 'non-academic' in nature. This paper explores the negotiation of all these challenges during the formalization of traditional acupuncture education in Britain, with a particular focus on the role of HEIs. The in-depth qualitative investigation draws on several data sets: participant observation in a university validated acupuncture course; in-depth interviews; and documentary analysis. The findings show how, as part of the formalization process, acupuncturists in Britain (re)negotiate their holistic, anti-reductionist discourses and claims in relation to contemporary societal, political and cultural forces. Moreover, the teaching and validation of acupuncture courses by HEIs may contribute to broadening acupuncturists' 'holistic awareness' of societal and cultural influences on individuals' and communities' ill-health. This investigation emphasises the dynamic and context-specific (rather than fixed and essentialized) nature of acupuncture practice and knowledge.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth, UK. Electronic address: assaf.givati@port.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Givati
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth, UK.
authors.forename: Kieron
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hatton
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture / Q000193:education*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004500:Education, Graduate; D006694:Holistic Health / Q000193:education*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Acupuncture; Biomedicine; Britain; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Higher Education; Holism; Professionalization