Movement for healthcare, mostly termed 'medical tourism', has been a sector of enormous potential in South Asia over the past years attracting many international clients. Kerala, a state in southern India, advertises 'Kerala Ayurveda' as one of its particular attractions. The objective of this paper is to study and understand the public health view on movements for healthcare and/or wellness across borders with a particular focus on the quality of treatments offered and on issues of ethics that concern patients from across different countries, but also the providers of Ayurveda treatments. To gain insights into local perspectives, interviews were conducted with Ayurveda practitioners at Ayurveda resorts in Kerala, in particular in Kovalam and Varkala, both in Thiruvananthapuram district. The analysis of our interviews shows that - perhaps not surprisingly in a world characterised by global capitalism - marketing plays an important role in attracting clients to resorts. Market considerations led to a transformation of how Ayurveda is presented to potential customers. This in turn has undermined the significance of Ayurveda within the tourism industry of Kerala. Arguably, representatives of the state view this as an opportunity rather than considering the importance of further developing Ayurveda as a medical practice.
Reflecting on the often diffuse use of the concepts transnationalism and translocality this paper argues that the terms need to be historicised. The case study of migration movements of Goans across the Indian Ocean and beyond it illustrates the argument that the temporal layers of translocal, transnational and global phenomena cannot be conceptualised without taking into account the characteristics of the different locations concerned. In a further step, it is argued that specific space time relations are correlated with specific forms of social interaction. The identity of Goans was constituted within the translocal, transnational, and global temporal layers in the context of their twice migration. Social institutions such as the church, the club, and schools played an important role in this process. Arguably, the connection between migration movements and identity formation can be applied to other migratory groups who shared a similar history. Goanais globalisés. Mouvements migratoires et identité dans une perspective historique L'utilisation souvent diffuse des concepts de transnationalisme et de translocalité, souligne d'abord le besoin de replacer ces termes dans leur contexte historique. L'étude de cas des mouvements migratoires des Goanais dans l'océan Indien et au-delà, illustre l'argument selon lequel les strates temporelles des phénomènes translocaux, transnationaux et mondiaux ne peuvent être conceptualisées sans prendre en considération les caractéristiques des différents lieux concernés. L'article développe ensuite l'idée d'une corrélation entre les relations spatiotemporelles et des formes spécifiques d'interaction sociale. L'identité des Goanais s'est constituée à l'intérieur de couches temporelles translocales, transnationales et mondiales dans le contexte de leur double migration. Des institutions sociales telles que l'église, le club et l'école ont joué un rôle important dans ce processus. On peut suggérer qu'il serait possible d'appliquer le lien entre les mouvements migratoires et la formation de l'identité à d'autres groupes migrants ayant connu une histoire semblable. Goeses globalizados. Movimentos migratórios e identidade numa perspectiva histórica
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