Veranstaltungskalender
An dieser Stelle präsentieren wir ausgewählte Veranstaltungen aus dem interdisziplinären Arbeitsfeld Ethnologie und Medizin.
Wir freuen uns über Veranstaltungshinweise an events@agem.de
Vergangene Veranstaltungen
2025
Gert Levy: „Marary Andriana“ – Die Kranken sind die Könige. Transkulturelle Psychiatrie im Spiegel ethnopsychiatrischer Praxis
Vortrag
"Ethnopsychiatrie – neue Wege in der Behandlung Geflüchteter in der Dominanzkultur?", Veranstaltungsreihe, organisiert von der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
No More Bhopals
Film
A Hybrid Memorial Screening on the 41st Anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Toward an Interdisciplinary Approach to the History of Medical Anthropology
Workshop
Hybrid Workshop
Alexander Stark: Numbers and Healing:. Exploring the Minangkabau Traditional Medical System
Vortrag
Dr. Alexander Stark (CAS-E Fellow): "Numbers and Healing: Exploring the Minangkabau Traditional Medical System"
Tuesday, November 25, 6:15pm CET
Free and Open for All
On Zoom or at CAS-E, Building D1, Hartmannstrasse 14, Erlangen
About the lecture:
Numbers hold significant meaning in many cultures. This presentation outlines the traditional Minangkabau healing system and explores the role that numbers play within it. The Minangkabau are one of the largest matrilineal societies in the world. Surprisingly, however, their traditional healing practices have received little scholarly attention. Some areas of research have highlighted the central role of numbers in Indonesian culture—for example, the 4–5 scheme of the Leiden School of Structuralism, or the adat (customary law) framework emphasized by local scholars. Other researchers have noted that the numbers three and four carry particular cultural significance within Minangkabau society. This presentation examines that claim, focusing on its implications in the context of traditional medicine. The Minangkabau healing system incorporates elements of both folk religion and Islamic belief. One notable intersection of these traditions is found in the use of the four medicinal plants known as Tawa nan ampek, which are employed across all local healing traditions. Additional examples further demonstrate how the numbers three and four play a central role in Minangkabau medical practices. For instance, the treatment of 'supernatural' illnesses may require more intensive forms of intervention. Typically, there are three levels of treatment for such disorders. Throughout the presentation, various examples will illustrate how traditional Minangkabau medicine is deeply rooted in local philosophy–and how numerology shapes its methods and meanings.
About the speaker:
Dr. Alexander Stark studied anthropology at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and Universiti Sains (Malaysia). His main research interests focus on traditional healing methods in Sumatra and Malaysia.
Upcoming CAS-E lectures can be found here and below
Upcoming CAS-E Lectures:
December 2, 2025
Prof. Jens Schlieter
Panpsychism and the Power of the Mind: Esoteric Views of Consciousness and Reality in Mahāyāna Buddhism and the West
December 9, 2025
Dr. Mike Cifone
Elusive Remainder: Jacques Vallée and the UFO Enigma
December 16, 2025
Dr. Dominique Hertzer
The Book of Changes (Yijing) in Chinese Medicine: Exploring "Pluralist Rationalities" of Divination and Chinese Medicine
January 13, 2026
Prof. Birgit Menzel
Healing in Soviet-American New Age Diplomacy: A TTouch Method
January 20, 2026
Prof. Carole Cusack
Bodily Sensation and Esoteric Transformation: Praxis in the Gurdjieff Work
January 27, 2026
Paul Johnson
Art, Presence, Sacrifice: The Death and Rebirth of the Cleveland “Thinker"
February 3, 2026
Dr. Monika Hirmer
Kuṇḍalinī in Cross-Cultural Context: Transmissions from South Asia to the West