Dr. Helmar Kurz
News
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Research
My research areas are the Anthropology of Religion, Medical Anthropology, Transcultural Psychiatry, and the Anthropology of the Body and the Senses. A particular research field is the Aesthetics of Healing, which I explored for the case of Brazilian spiritual and religious therapies in the DFG-funded research project "Diversification of Mental Health: Therapeutic Spaces of Brazilian Spiritism" implemented by Prof. Dr. Helene Basu between 2015 and 2018.
Currently, I am interested in Healing Tourism and Inequalities in (Mental) Healthcare with a focus on translocal relations between Brazil, Europe, India, and South Africa, encompassing the Indian Ocean and the Transatlantic.
Research Focus
- Trans-/Cultural Psychiatry
- Psychological anthropology
- Medical and religious anthropology
- Anthropology of the body and the senses
- Ritual theory
- Performance
Research Area
- Brazil
- Germany
- Transatlantic
Teaching
- Practice: Ethnografische Methoden [082875]
- Seminar: Transatlantic Health and Healing [080887]
(in cooperation with Prof. Dorothea Schulz)
- Seminar: Translocal Relationships [088877]
- Seminar: Medien - Ästhetische Aushandlungen & Anthropologische Ansätze [086882]
- Project seminar: Care & Well-Being in Forschung & Praxis [084879]
- Seminar: Geist, Gesundheit & Gesellschaft: (Mental) Health & KuSA [082875]
- Seminar: Religion und Medizin in außereuropäischen Kulturen: Religionsästhetische und Medizinethnologische Aspekte von Heilung [020598]
- Project seminar: Geist, Gesundheit & Gesellschaft: Global Mental Health aus sozialanthropologischer Perspektive [080879]
- Practice: (Mental) Health & Wellbeing in Social Anthropology [080888]
- Project seminar: Geist, Gesundheit & Gesellschaft: Global Mental Health aus sozialanthropologischer Perspektive [080879]
- Seminar: Global Mental Health [088875]
(in cooperation with José-Marie Koussemou)
- Project seminar: Trans/Kulturelle Psychiatrie - Migration, Gesellschaft und Ästhetiken des Heilens [086880]
(in cooperation with José-Marie Koussemou)
- Lecture: Geist, Heilung und Geistheilung - Trans/Kulturelle Psychiatrie als Methode des Kultur- und Gesellschaftsvergleichs im Schnittfeld der Religions- und Medizinanthropologie [081068]
- Practice: "Are You Nuts?!" - Mental Health in Social & Medical Anthropology [089078]
- Seminar: Transkulturelle Psychiatrie [085104]
(in cooperation with José-Marie Koussemou)- Seminar: Transkulturelle Psychiatrie [085105]
(in cooperation with José-Marie Koussemou) - Seminar: Transkulturelle Psychiatrie [085105]
Publications
Books
Book (Monograph)
- Kurz, Helmar. . Fern/Sehen, Vol. 6, Performanz und Modernität im brasilianischen Candomblé. Eine Interpretation Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Kovač.
Commemorative Publications
- Koch, Julia, Kurz, Helmar, Pande, Mrinal, and Strauss, Annika, eds. . Wissenschaftliche Schriften der WWU Münster - Reihe X, Vol. 35, Practices of Transformation - Transformation of Practices: Essays in Honour of Helene Basu Hildesheim; Münster: Georg Olms Verlag. doi: 10.17879/94059472825.
Articles
Articles in Scientific Journals, Newspapers or Magazines
Special Issue of a Journal
- Kurz, Helmar, ed. .“Aesthetics of Healing: Working with the Senses in Therapeutic Contexts.” Special Issue Curare 3+4.
Research Articles (Journals)
- Kurz, and Helmar. . “Spiritism in Germany: A Resource of Integration for Brazilian Migrants?” International Journal of Latin American Religions 8. doi: 10.1007/s41603-024-00233-0.
- Kurz, Helmar, and Strauss, Annika. . “Framing Experiences: Diagnosing and Explaining Dissociative Phenomena in Indian and Brazilian Mental Health-Care Institutions.” Curare 41 (3+4): 159–168.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Transnational and Transcultural Transfer of Therapeutic Practice: Healing Cooperation of Spiritism, Biomedicine, and Psychiatry in Brazil and Germany.” Curare 41 (1+2): 39–53.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Diversification of Mental Health Care - Brazilian Kardecist Psychiatry and the Aesthetics of Healing.” Curare 40 (3): 195–206.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “"Depression is not a Disease. It's a Spiritual Problem." - Performance and Hybridization of Religion and Science within Brazilian Spiritist Healing Practices.” Curare 38 (3): 175–193.
Conference Reports (Journals)
- Kurz, Helmar, and Sabernig, Katharina. . “Visual Expressions of Health, Illness and Healing. Bericht zur 34. Jährlichen Fachtagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ethnologie und Medizin (AGEM) in Kooperation mit der Österreichischen Ethnomedizinischen Gesellschaft (ÖEG) und dem Weltmuseum in Wien, 2.-4. Juni 2022.” Curare 42 (1+2): 113–117.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Affective Arrangements in Mental Health Care Settings, Report on the International Conference organized by the Collaborative Research Center 1171 ‘Affective Societies’, Berlin, September 24-26, 2018.” Curare 42 (1+2): 119–121.
- Kurz, Helmar, and Nauber, Marion. . “Aesthetics of Healing.Working with the Senses in Therapeutic Contexts. Bericht zur 32. Jährlichen Fachtagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ethnologie und Medizin (AGEM e.V.) an der Westfälischen Wilhelmsuniversität Münster, 24.-26. Mai 2019.” Curare 42 (1+2): 132–138.
Research Article (Book Contributions)
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Sensory Ethnography and Anthropology of Mediumship: Aesthetics of Brazilian Spiritist Practices in Well-Being and Healing.” in Other Worlds, Other Bodies: Embodied Epistemologies and Ethnographies of Healing, edited by Emily Pierini, Alberto Groisman and Diana Espirito Santo. New York: Berghahn Books.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Politics and Aesthetics of Care: Chronic Affliction and Spirituality in Brazilian Kardecism.” in Spiritual, Religious, and Faith-Based Practices in Chronicity: An Exploration of Mental Wellness in Global Context, edited by Andrew Hatala and Kerstin S. Roger. London: Routledge.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Geist, Heilung und Geistheilung – Spirituelle Obsession und Mediumismus als Erklärungsmodell und Therapieansatz im Schnittfeld religiös-spiritueller und psychiatrischer Heilpraxis: Spiritismus in Brasilien und Deutschland.” in Ganzheitsmedizin IV: Der Weg zu einem neuen Bewusstsein der Heilung, edited by Christine E.H. Krebber. München: Institut für Ganzheitsmedizin.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Affliction and Consolation: Mediumship and Spirit Obsession as Explanatory Models within Brazilian Kardecist Mental Health-Care.” in Legitimidades da Loucura: Sofrimento, Luta, Criatividade e Pertença, edited by Mônica Nunes and Tiago P. Marques. Salvador: EDUFBA.
Review (Journals)
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Pierini, Emily (2020): Jaguars of the Dawn: Spirit Mediumship in the Brazilian Vale do Amanhecer. New York: Berghahn.” Curare 45 (2): 125–127.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Vaitl, Dieter (ed. 2020): An den Grenzen unseres Wissens: Von der Faszination des Paranormalen. Freiburg: Herder.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 85 (4): 238–241.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Zhang, Li (2021): The Origins of Covid-19. China and Global Capitalism. Stanford: University Press.” Curare 44 (1-4): 161–166.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Lock, Margaret & Nguyen, Vinh-Kim (2018): An Anthropology of Biomedicine. Second Edition. Oxford: Wiley & Blackwell.” Curare 44 (1-4): 149–151.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Reyes-Foster, Beatriz M. (2019): Psychiatric Encounters: Madness & Modernity in Yucatan, Mexico. New Brunswick: Ruthers.” Curare 44 (1-4): 152–154.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Shonin, Edo; van Gordon, William; Griffiths, Mark D. (2016): Mindfulness and Buddhist-Derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction. Heidelberg: Springer.” Curare 43 (1+2): 113–117.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Deane, Susannah (2018): Tibetan Medicine, Buddhism and Psychiatry: Mental Health and Healing in a Tibetan Exile Community. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.” Curare 43 (1+2): 121–122.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Caldwell, Kia L. (2017): Health Equity in Brazil: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Policy. Urbana: University Press of Illinois Press.” Curare 42 (1+2): 153–154.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Rocha, Cristina (2017): John of God: The Globalization of Brazilian Faith Healing. Oxford: University Press.” Curare 42 (1+2): 156–159.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Wirtz, Ursula (2018): Stirb & Werde: Die Wandlungskraft traumatischer Erfahrungen. Ostfildern: Patmos.” Curare 42 (1+2): 165–168.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Chirly dos Santos-Stubbe & Hannes Stubbe (2014): Kleines Lexikon der Afrobrasilianistik. Eine Einführung mit Bibliographie. Göttingen.” Curare 40 (4): 362–363.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Julia Thiesbonenkamp-Maag (2014): ‘Wie eine Quelle in der Wüste‘: Fürsorge und Selbstsorge bei der philippinisch-charismatischen Gruppe El Shaddai in Frankfurt.” Curare 38 (4): 303–308.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Wielant Machleidt (2013): Migration, Kultur und psychische Gesundheit. Stuttgart.” Curare 37 (1): 337–343.
- Kurz, Helmar. . “Godula Kossack (2012): Magie – Die Kraft zum Schaden oder zum Guten. Bad Schussenried.” Curare 37 (1): 77–78.
Project