IM/MIGRATION AND HEALTH: CONCEPTUAL, METHODOLOGICAL, AND THEORETICAL PROPOSITIONS FOR APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY

This article provides an overview of some of the major topical areas in the study of im/migrant health relevant for applied and practicing anthropologists. It illustrates the conceptual, methodological, and theoretical insights they have contributed to the discipline as a whole. Topics include the intersection of health care and immigration policy; access to services; charity care and free clinics; cultural competency; medical pluralism; reproductive health and citizenship; communicable disease; the acculturation concept; and illegal status as a form of health disparity. These issues are highlighted using both U.S. and comparative international research literature, with a special focus on unauthorized im/migrants. Finally, this article suggests an agenda for future work in the field of im/migrant health for applied and practicing anthropologists.