Book Review
Traditional Chinese Medicine: The Human Dimension
Big Leung
ISBN: 978-0- 9775742-2-3; 2008; 212 pages; Verdant House, Maleny Australia;
Stephen Kermode
School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW
This is a book for scholars of TCM philosophy and scholars of Chinese culture for, as the author notes, the two are inseparable: 'I believe the meaning of medicine and life are intertwined. Most significantly, the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine stimulates our thinking about how to live in a more humane way' (p. xiv). The character of this book is what first strikes the reader. It is both a rigorous socio-cultural analysis of the history and contexts of TCM and an intimate insight into the human-centeredness of the ideologies that form the matrix of TCM practices for contemporary users. It derives from the author's PhD studies, including grounded theory research. The text is essentially discursive and structured around the major themes that arose from the author's research process. There are nine chapters in this book, each of which presents a different facet of TCM context for contemporary Australian Chinese expatriates, as well as for participants in Hong Kong and Macau. Each of these facets provides a window on the complex interrelationship between TCM and everyday life for the participants.The overriding theme is the human-centred nature of TCM philosophy as it manifests in forms such as balance and harmony, family connectedness and identity. I would recommend this text to any reader who wishes to gain an insight into the cultural importance of TCM and the place it holds in the hearts and minds of those who grew up with it.
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