Contesting the Rule(s) of Medicine: Homeopathy’s Battle for Legitimacy

Abstract

This essay examines the political, economic and ideological elements at work in a battle over authoritative knowledge in the field of biomedicine. The orthodox medical establishment is facing a challenge to its historical position of dominance from an array of alternative therapies. As one of the leading forms of alternative medicine, homeopathy is seeking legitimacy but faces significant opposition from the scientific and medical community. The Canadian public and other social organizations are lobbying for medical pluralism and more access to alternatives. In this essay the author examines this contest and evaluates the nature of the ideological debate between homeopathy and the medical establishment historically and in the contemporary period.