Sumra Alam

Sumra Alam is a PhD student at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, with an interest in the sociology of health. Her doctoral research examines the relationship between health and religion from a sociological perspective. It aims to analyse the extent to which religious values and norms, operating in a particular social and cultural setting, contribute to shaping contemporary attitudes and actions towards health in the context of Muslims in Delhi. This will be examined in relation to people’s financial, medical, and other everyday considerations. Her research interest comes from the understanding that in India, many of the routines and everyday practices of people have been shaped by not just medical but also diverse religious traditions. Religious traditions have beliefs, values and norms about, for instance, the body, bodily conduct and practices, among other things, that shape behaviours and world views. She seeks to examine their role in the contemporary experiences of health and illness among Muslims in a context where the impact of modern medicine has been considerable, but other knowledge traditions continue to transform and operate simultaneously.

With the Inlaks-King’s India Institute Studentship, Sumra will be able to interact with and consult experts at King’s College London and other institutions in the UK who are working on the various aspects of health, medicine, and society. The studentship will also allow her to access library collections at the Maughan Library at King’s College London, the School of Oriental and African Studies Library, and the Wellcome Collection. Exploring archival materials on health and healing practices among South Asian communities will enrich her understanding of the historical aspects of the health and religion relationship. By facilitating a deeper engagement with the different components of her research, this opportunity will enhance its potential to contribute towards the understanding of health in its social and cultural context.

Wafa A. Razak

Wafa A. Razak is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, with a focus on the sociology of science and modern medicine. Her research delves into how biomedical knowledge is formed and practiced. Through ethnographic research at a government medical college in Kerala, Wafa observes doctors and medical students specifically in the fields of Anatomy and Obstetrics in both classroom and clinical spaces to understand how modern medicine is taught, learned, and practiced. She explores how medical education intertwines science with cultural and social meanings, highlighting the complexities of scientific knowledge.

This inquiry is set against the backdrop of the broader historical and social contexts of medical education in India, where colonial legacies and modern aspirations intersect to shape science. By focusing on biomedicine and its practitioners, she engages in what anthropologists call ‘studying up’, turning the anthropological gaze towards the powerful institutions and knowledge systems of our contemporary societies.

As a recipient of the Inlaks King’s India Studentship, Wafa will be able to enrich her research under the supervision of Dr. Shagufta Bhangu and engage with experts across medical and social science disciplines from King’s College London and more.. This studentship will allow her to explore important archival resources, such as those at Oxford University’s History of Science Museum, and access various other libraries to further her exploration into the cultural and institutional foundations of medical knowledge and practice. Through this experience, Wafa aims to deepen her understanding of the relationship between modern medicine and contemporary Indian society.