Premium
Practice‐Building Seminars in Chiropractic: A Petit Bourgeois Response to Biomedical Domination
Author(s) -
Baer Hans A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
medical anthropology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-1387
pISSN - 0745-5194
DOI - 10.1525/maq.1996.10.1.02a00050
Subject(s) - chiropractic , biomedicine , bourgeoisie , modalities , petite bourgeoisie , class (philosophy) , alternative medicine , social class , middle class , medicine , sociology , family medicine , medical education , social science , political science , epistemology , law , philosophy , genetics , pathology , politics , biology
As biomedicine evolved into the preserve of upper‐class and upper‐middle‐class physicians, working‐class and lower‐middle‐class individuals turned to chiropractic as a vehicle of upward social mobility. Practice‐building seminars constitute a largely overlooked strategy by which many chiropractors have sought to address their marginal status within the U.S. medical system. Using archival and research data, this article discusses the role of these seminars in assisting chiropractors to convince their patients of the efficacy of their treatment modalities, increase their incomes, and bolster their confidence as heterodox medical practitioners.