Roman Sieler | Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (original) (raw)
Books by Roman Sieler
Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vit... more Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vital spots," a South Indian esoteric tradition that combines medical practice and martial arts. Although siddha medicine is officially part of the Indian Government's medically pluralistic health-care system, very little of a reliable nature has been written about it. Drawing on a diverse array of materials, including Tamil manuscripts, interviews with practitioners, and his own personal experience as an apprentice, Sieler traces the practices of varmakkalai both in different religious traditions--such as Yoga and Ayurveda--and within various combat practices. His argument is based on in-depth ethnographic research in the southernmost region of India, where hereditary medico-martial practitioners learn their occupation from relatives or skilled gurus through an esoteric, spiritual education system. Rituals of secrecy and apprenticeship in varmakkalai are among the important focal points of Sieler's study. Practitioners protect their esoteric knowledge, but they also engage in a kind of "lure and withdrawal"--a performance of secrecy--because secrecy functions as what might be called "symbolic capital." Sieler argues that varmakkalai is, above all, a matter of texts in practice; knowledge transmission between teacher and student conveys tacit, non-verbal knowledge, and constitutes a "moral economy." It is not merely plain facts that are communicated, but also moral obligations, ethical conduct and tacit, bodily knowledge. Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets is an insightful analysis of practices rarely discussed in scholarly circles. It will be a valuable resource to students of religion, medical anthropologists, historians of medicine, Indologists, and martial arts and performance studies.
Papers by Roman Sieler
Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Jan 28, 2014
It is often argued that biomedicine alienates patients from doctors, from ailments and from under... more It is often argued that biomedicine alienates patients from doctors, from ailments and from understanding treatment processes, while indigenous and alternative healing systems are portrayed as respectful of patients and their experience. Specifically, South Indian siddha medicine has been seen as diverging from biomedicine in empowering its patients. This approach not only assumes biomedicine to be a homogeneous practice, but also lumps together diverse therapeutic techniques under the labels of “traditional” or “alternative.” Analysis of a manual subdiscipline of siddha medicine cautions against such analytic imprecision and active/passive binaries in physician–patient encounters. Practitioners of vital spot medicine claim to “heal the hidden.” They rarely communicate diagnostic insights verbally and object to auxiliary devices. However, their physical engagement with patients’ ailing bodies highlights the corporeal nature of manual medicine in particular and processual, situational, and reciprocal characteristics of curing in general.
Theme Issue, “Transnational Health in Asia: Patients, Knowledge, Praxis,” European Journal of Transnational Studies, 2013
"Studies on transnational healthcare tend to focus on the flows of institutions, practices and pe... more "Studies on transnational healthcare tend to focus on the flows of institutions, practices and people rather than on the flow of knowledge. This article seeks to fill this gap by exploring the modes of instruction in siddha medicine and, in particular, varmam or “vital spot” manipulations. It compares the instruction of hereditary practitioners in South India and their intimate, long-term learning relationship to that of a newly established learning course which aims to attract foreign students and provides lessons and exams by e-mail. While the former mode employs tactile techniques, the latter is largely based on the transference of textual knowledge. The article recognizes modalities of knowledge transmission, intentions of teachers, and perceptions of students as important sites for the study of therapeutic transnationalism. Entrepreneurial forces are a key element, but have hitherto rarely been acknowledged as such with regard to siddha medicine. This article finally shows that not only Asian medicines but also their transnational means of instruction have become marketable commodities."
Theme issue, “Cultivating Perfection and Longevity in Asian Traditions,” Asian Medicine, 2012
""Varmakkalai, ‘the art of the vital spots’, combines therapeutic and martial techniques: Varmam ... more ""Varmakkalai, ‘the art of the vital spots’, combines therapeutic and martial techniques: Varmam spots are of combative relevance, but also applicable in curing ailments. This paper depicts how far this South Indian practice figures simultaneously in the kaḷari, the training ground where combat techniques called varma aṭi, ‘hitting the vital spots’, are taught, and in the vaittiyacālai, the dispensary for varma maruttuvam, ‘vital spot treatments’. Injuries incurred in the kaḷari are addressed in the vaittiyacālai, and apprentices’ learning progress in one surrounding can be measured by their prowess in the other. Both physical and mental skills acquired combine in a kind of psycho-somatic intuition—the medical and martial competence of practitioners. Such intersections of medicine and martial practices are not normally recognised by ‘Western’ taxonomies or educational models, which tend to segregate such aspects, labelling one as ‘arts’ or ‘sports’ and the other as ‘science’. However, this paper describes the very combination of medically and martially relevant aspects of varmam as not only complementary, but as the most decisive feature of varmakkalai.""
Conference by Roman Sieler
South Indian Siddha Medicine is arguably the least researched and understood among Indian medical... more South Indian Siddha Medicine is arguably the least researched and understood among Indian medical systems. The same might be said for Siddha traditions as found in South Indian textual sources and lived practices in general. This may be due to complex interrelations of diverse subjects including alchemy, philosophy, astrology, therapies, ritual practices, etc., as well as to the synthesis of various strands of traditions throughout different periods of South India, including yogic principles, different religious schools of thought, or the influence of different therapeutic philosophies—both of South Indian, and of external origins. This conference aims to bring together specialists on South Indian medical, alchemical and religious traditions, all described or understood as “Siddha” and to palpate the permutations, varieties, and, above all, interrelations of different Siddha traditions and their relations to other Indian practices from various interdisciplinary social science perspectives, including Anthropology, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Indology.
Dissertations & Theses by Roman Sieler
Health and Society in South Asia Series, no. 1 edited by William Sax, Gabriele Alex and Constanze Weigl, 2006
Die kritische Ein- und Wertschätzung von 'embodiment', einer interdisziplinären, theoretischen Di... more Die kritische Ein- und Wertschätzung von 'embodiment', einer interdisziplinären, theoretischen Diskussion, die besonders in den Fächern Ethnologie und Soziologie Bestand hat und es mittlerweile zu einer Art Subdisziplin geschafft hat, bildet einen Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit. Wie zu zeigen sein wird, fallen hierunter verschiedenste Ansätze, denen gemein ist, den Körper, körperliches Verhalten und Zustände in einen Zusammenhang zu kulturellen Aspekten zu setzen. Zum anderen soll in Bezug auf die Ethnologie Südasiens im allgemeinen und in Bezug auf Diskussionen um das 'Wesen' oder um mögliche Theorien des in Südasien zu findenden Kastensystems ein kritischer Überblick geliefert werden. Kein anderes Thema erscheint als so konstant das Hauptaugenmerk von Ethnologen, Soziologen oder Politologen Südasiens. Gerade aufgrund der Fluten an Veröffentlichungen würde es mittlerweile mehrere Menschenleben in Anspruch nehmen, wollte man diese vollständig lesen, geschweige denn verstehen oder zusammenfassen. Oft scheint es geradezu so, als sei kaum eine Aussage über Kaste zu machen, ohne ständig etwas Falsches zu sagen, sobald man einen gewissen Minimalkonsens verlässt. Der eigentliche Ausgangspunkt zu diesem Thema soll hier allerdings der Körper darstellen. Nachdem, nach anfänglicher zurückhaltender Einbindung des Körpers und einer Sichtweise auf ein, einen Körper Habendes, einen Körper Machendes und ein Körper Seiendes Individuum (vgl. Turner 1992: 40), eine solche Wahrnehmung inzwischen mehr als verbreitet in ethnologischen Analysen ist, erscheinen Kastentheorien in diesem Punkt weiterhin als eine Ausnahme. Dennoch fällt selbst bei Abhandlungen über Kaste und deren Problematiken auf, inwiefern der Körper eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Gerade Praktiken von Unberührbarkeit legen dies nahe. Nur langsam und zumeist über Umwege findet der Körper, bzw. der verkörperte Akteur, Einzug in Ethnographien Indiens. Die Frage zu stellen, woran dies liegt, sowie zu zeigen, dass es hierfür verschiedene und triftige Gründe gibt, stellt einen wichtigen Teil der Arbeit dar. Ein zweites Augenmerk liegt auf dem Versuch, einen theoretischen Anstoß zu geben, den Körper in ein Verständnis, wenn schon nicht von Kaste als das zugrundeliegende Sozialsystem Indiens, so doch von dessen individueller Wahrnehmung, Interpretation und Umgang mit diesem, mit einzubringen.
Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vit... more Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vital spots," a South Indian esoteric tradition that combines medical practice and martial arts. Although siddha medicine is officially part of the Indian Government's medically pluralistic health-care system, very little of a reliable nature has been written about it. Drawing on a diverse array of materials, including Tamil manuscripts, interviews with practitioners, and his own personal experience as an apprentice, Sieler traces the practices of varmakkalai both in different religious traditions--such as Yoga and Ayurveda--and within various combat practices. His argument is based on in-depth ethnographic research in the southernmost region of India, where hereditary medico-martial practitioners learn their occupation from relatives or skilled gurus through an esoteric, spiritual education system. Rituals of secrecy and apprenticeship in varmakkalai are among the important focal points of Sieler's study. Practitioners protect their esoteric knowledge, but they also engage in a kind of "lure and withdrawal"--a performance of secrecy--because secrecy functions as what might be called "symbolic capital." Sieler argues that varmakkalai is, above all, a matter of texts in practice; knowledge transmission between teacher and student conveys tacit, non-verbal knowledge, and constitutes a "moral economy." It is not merely plain facts that are communicated, but also moral obligations, ethical conduct and tacit, bodily knowledge. Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets is an insightful analysis of practices rarely discussed in scholarly circles. It will be a valuable resource to students of religion, medical anthropologists, historians of medicine, Indologists, and martial arts and performance studies.
Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Jan 28, 2014
It is often argued that biomedicine alienates patients from doctors, from ailments and from under... more It is often argued that biomedicine alienates patients from doctors, from ailments and from understanding treatment processes, while indigenous and alternative healing systems are portrayed as respectful of patients and their experience. Specifically, South Indian siddha medicine has been seen as diverging from biomedicine in empowering its patients. This approach not only assumes biomedicine to be a homogeneous practice, but also lumps together diverse therapeutic techniques under the labels of “traditional” or “alternative.” Analysis of a manual subdiscipline of siddha medicine cautions against such analytic imprecision and active/passive binaries in physician–patient encounters. Practitioners of vital spot medicine claim to “heal the hidden.” They rarely communicate diagnostic insights verbally and object to auxiliary devices. However, their physical engagement with patients’ ailing bodies highlights the corporeal nature of manual medicine in particular and processual, situational, and reciprocal characteristics of curing in general.
Theme Issue, “Transnational Health in Asia: Patients, Knowledge, Praxis,” European Journal of Transnational Studies, 2013
"Studies on transnational healthcare tend to focus on the flows of institutions, practices and pe... more "Studies on transnational healthcare tend to focus on the flows of institutions, practices and people rather than on the flow of knowledge. This article seeks to fill this gap by exploring the modes of instruction in siddha medicine and, in particular, varmam or “vital spot” manipulations. It compares the instruction of hereditary practitioners in South India and their intimate, long-term learning relationship to that of a newly established learning course which aims to attract foreign students and provides lessons and exams by e-mail. While the former mode employs tactile techniques, the latter is largely based on the transference of textual knowledge. The article recognizes modalities of knowledge transmission, intentions of teachers, and perceptions of students as important sites for the study of therapeutic transnationalism. Entrepreneurial forces are a key element, but have hitherto rarely been acknowledged as such with regard to siddha medicine. This article finally shows that not only Asian medicines but also their transnational means of instruction have become marketable commodities."
Theme issue, “Cultivating Perfection and Longevity in Asian Traditions,” Asian Medicine, 2012
""Varmakkalai, ‘the art of the vital spots’, combines therapeutic and martial techniques: Varmam ... more ""Varmakkalai, ‘the art of the vital spots’, combines therapeutic and martial techniques: Varmam spots are of combative relevance, but also applicable in curing ailments. This paper depicts how far this South Indian practice figures simultaneously in the kaḷari, the training ground where combat techniques called varma aṭi, ‘hitting the vital spots’, are taught, and in the vaittiyacālai, the dispensary for varma maruttuvam, ‘vital spot treatments’. Injuries incurred in the kaḷari are addressed in the vaittiyacālai, and apprentices’ learning progress in one surrounding can be measured by their prowess in the other. Both physical and mental skills acquired combine in a kind of psycho-somatic intuition—the medical and martial competence of practitioners. Such intersections of medicine and martial practices are not normally recognised by ‘Western’ taxonomies or educational models, which tend to segregate such aspects, labelling one as ‘arts’ or ‘sports’ and the other as ‘science’. However, this paper describes the very combination of medically and martially relevant aspects of varmam as not only complementary, but as the most decisive feature of varmakkalai.""
South Indian Siddha Medicine is arguably the least researched and understood among Indian medical... more South Indian Siddha Medicine is arguably the least researched and understood among Indian medical systems. The same might be said for Siddha traditions as found in South Indian textual sources and lived practices in general. This may be due to complex interrelations of diverse subjects including alchemy, philosophy, astrology, therapies, ritual practices, etc., as well as to the synthesis of various strands of traditions throughout different periods of South India, including yogic principles, different religious schools of thought, or the influence of different therapeutic philosophies—both of South Indian, and of external origins. This conference aims to bring together specialists on South Indian medical, alchemical and religious traditions, all described or understood as “Siddha” and to palpate the permutations, varieties, and, above all, interrelations of different Siddha traditions and their relations to other Indian practices from various interdisciplinary social science perspectives, including Anthropology, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Indology.
Health and Society in South Asia Series, no. 1 edited by William Sax, Gabriele Alex and Constanze Weigl, 2006
Die kritische Ein- und Wertschätzung von 'embodiment', einer interdisziplinären, theoretischen Di... more Die kritische Ein- und Wertschätzung von 'embodiment', einer interdisziplinären, theoretischen Diskussion, die besonders in den Fächern Ethnologie und Soziologie Bestand hat und es mittlerweile zu einer Art Subdisziplin geschafft hat, bildet einen Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit. Wie zu zeigen sein wird, fallen hierunter verschiedenste Ansätze, denen gemein ist, den Körper, körperliches Verhalten und Zustände in einen Zusammenhang zu kulturellen Aspekten zu setzen. Zum anderen soll in Bezug auf die Ethnologie Südasiens im allgemeinen und in Bezug auf Diskussionen um das 'Wesen' oder um mögliche Theorien des in Südasien zu findenden Kastensystems ein kritischer Überblick geliefert werden. Kein anderes Thema erscheint als so konstant das Hauptaugenmerk von Ethnologen, Soziologen oder Politologen Südasiens. Gerade aufgrund der Fluten an Veröffentlichungen würde es mittlerweile mehrere Menschenleben in Anspruch nehmen, wollte man diese vollständig lesen, geschweige denn verstehen oder zusammenfassen. Oft scheint es geradezu so, als sei kaum eine Aussage über Kaste zu machen, ohne ständig etwas Falsches zu sagen, sobald man einen gewissen Minimalkonsens verlässt. Der eigentliche Ausgangspunkt zu diesem Thema soll hier allerdings der Körper darstellen. Nachdem, nach anfänglicher zurückhaltender Einbindung des Körpers und einer Sichtweise auf ein, einen Körper Habendes, einen Körper Machendes und ein Körper Seiendes Individuum (vgl. Turner 1992: 40), eine solche Wahrnehmung inzwischen mehr als verbreitet in ethnologischen Analysen ist, erscheinen Kastentheorien in diesem Punkt weiterhin als eine Ausnahme. Dennoch fällt selbst bei Abhandlungen über Kaste und deren Problematiken auf, inwiefern der Körper eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Gerade Praktiken von Unberührbarkeit legen dies nahe. Nur langsam und zumeist über Umwege findet der Körper, bzw. der verkörperte Akteur, Einzug in Ethnographien Indiens. Die Frage zu stellen, woran dies liegt, sowie zu zeigen, dass es hierfür verschiedene und triftige Gründe gibt, stellt einen wichtigen Teil der Arbeit dar. Ein zweites Augenmerk liegt auf dem Versuch, einen theoretischen Anstoß zu geben, den Körper in ein Verständnis, wenn schon nicht von Kaste als das zugrundeliegende Sozialsystem Indiens, so doch von dessen individueller Wahrnehmung, Interpretation und Umgang mit diesem, mit einzubringen.