A South Asia from Asia Interdisciplinary Initiatives event

In this talk, Dr. Khalikova presents the findings of a joint research project that examined India’s media discourse on Coronil- a contentious drug launched as an ayurvedic treatment for COVID-19. The examination of four national English-language newspapers in India shows the lack of depth and critical analysis in the reporting on Coronil, which as considerable socioeconomic and public health implications. Some members of the government, judiciary, and media adopted the rhetoric of populist medical pluralism, embedded in the Hindu nationalist discourse justifying the endorsement of Coronil in terms of the neoliberal economy of ‘choices’ of the Indian people and their ‘need’ for homegrown treatments, thus shifting the blame for the health crisis from the state to the citizens. The green light given to Coronil confounded the government’s scientific communication during the pandemic leading to confusing messaging about the cause and treatments of COVID-19.

Speaker: Dr. Venera R. Khalikova, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, CUHK
Date: 15 April 2024 (Mon)
Time: 2:00 -4:00 pm
Venue: Leung Kau Kui Building LG7, CUHK

Please click here to register: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13686265 

About the speaker

Dr. Venera R. Khalikova is a cultural anthropologist who studies how people’s sense of belonging influences their decisions about health, work, and migration. Focusing on doctors on alternative medicine in India and Indian highly skilled migrants in Hong Kong, Khalikova examines the role of citizenship, religion, gender, class and ethnoracial affiliation in people’s everyday acts and practices.