Macroeconomic Change and the Biopolitics of Health in Cuba's Special Period
Sean Brotherton2008, Journal of Latin American Anthropology
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Abstract
El éxito de Cuba en el campo de la salud pública a menudo se asocia a altos índices estadísticos alcanzados por la población en muchas áreas. Ésto ha llevado a muchos estudiosos a hacer de la isla un "anti-modelo" de desarrollo. Sin embargo, los investigadores en esta línea de pensamiento caen en lo que yo llamo fetichismo estadístico. Esta forma de fetichismo tiene un objetivo específico. Los indicadores básicos de salud en Cuba proporcionan un modelo de la realidad, pero no permiten el examen crítico de lo que las cifras reflejan o cómo se obtienen. Este artículo propone el amplio examen de los procesos sociales, que moldean e influyen en el sistema primario de salud pública en Cuba. Concretamente, el trabajo examina cómo el colapso del bloque soviético y el fortalecimiento del embargo por parte de los Estados Unidos están cambiando la experiencia y la aceptación que la población tiene del sistema de salud. Además, el trabajo analiza cómo los cambios en la dinámica de las relaciones entre la población y la burocracia médica han transformado también los modos en que el Estado ejerce y representa su poder de un modo más sutil a través de la imposición de una disciplina física a nivel individual. palabras claves: Cuba, antropología médica, subjetividad, prácticas cotidianas, Poder Estatal.
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