1Royal Holloway, University of London, UK joana.almeida.2007@live.rhul.ac.uk.
Abstract
This
article analyses strategies of closure recently enacted by
complementary and alternative medicine practitioners in order to achieve
occupational control over work domains in healthcare, taking Portugal
as an example. A combination of the neo-Weberian occupational closure
theory of the professions and Abbott's jurisdictional vacancy theory is
proposed as the framework for analysis. Acupuncture and homeopathy
will be presented as case studies. Data are derived from in-depth
interviews with 10 traditional acupuncturists and 10 traditional
homeopaths. Data analysis suggests that (1) professionalisation, (2)
alignment with biomedical science and (3) expressing 'legitimating
values' of a countervailing nature have been three significant
strategies complementary and alternative medicine practitioners have
used in an attempt to achieve market closure. It is argued that these
strategies are contradictory: some involve allegiances, while others
involve demarcation from biomedical science. A further outcome of these
strategies is the promotion of complementary and alternative medicine
treatments and solutions in everyday life. The success of these
strategies therefore, although helping to reinforce the biomedical
model, may simultaneously help complementary and alternative medicine to
demarcate from it, posing thus challenges to mainstream healthcare.
© The Author(s) 2016.
KEYWORDS:
Portugal; complementary and alternative medicine; healthcare; jurisdictional vacancy; occupational closure
