Full Description
In the context of modern global exchanges, an imagined and essentialised notion of 'East Asia' has served as both a source of inspiration and a catalyst for new connections, extending beyond the geographic boundaries of China, Japan, and Korea. This volume explores the global circulation of practices, technologies, and ideas identified as 'East Asian' in alternative therapies and spiritual practices since the 1970s. Case studies range from the incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine into Brazilian naturopathy to self-development seminars promoting Korean national identity. Rather than focusing on questions of authenticity, the book uniquely interrogates how and why the cultures of China, Japan, and Korea have been invoked over the last fifty years to promote specific therapeutic, spiritual, and political agendas worldwide.
Contents
List of figures and tables, Acknowledgements, Note on naming, use of italics and other conventions,Therapy, Spirituality and East Asian Imaginaries: An Introduction, Section 1: Circulation of 'East Asian' Concepts, Chapter 1: How Qi Became Energy: Parapsychology, Soviet Science and Chinese Acupuncture in the 1970s, Chapter 2: Finding Kyo in Shiatsu Spaces: Sensing the Global Movement of Embodied Knowledge, Chapter 3: Capturing the Moment of Kimochi-ii: Transnational Flows and the Transformation of Qigong in Japan, Section 2: Circulation of Therapeutic Narratives, Chapter 4: Five-Element Acupuncture in 1960-80s Britain: In Pursuit of Alternative Treatment with Body-Mind-Spirit, Chapter 5: From Eden to Aquarius: 'Oriental Medicine', Natural Healing and the Market of Self-Care Books in Brazil in the 1970s, Chapter 6: Buddhist Self-Help Healing Narratives and the Meditative Turn, Section 3: Alternative Therapies Across Epistemic Fields and Professions, Chapter 7: A Collaboration Between Mother and Baby: Sophrology in a Japanese Maternity Clinic and the Making of Medical Knowledge, Chapter 8: The Influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Brazilian Naturology, Chapter 9: Constructing a Modern Esoteric Buddhist Breath Therapy, Section 4: Alternative Therapies and National Identities, Chapter 10: Ki Sury.n in South Korea: Reclaiming the Term Pigwahakch.k (Unscientific) to Challenge Scientific Supremacy, Chapter 11: Nationalism and the Legitimacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Macau: Colonial Legacy and Contemporary Imaginaries.
