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Koppning botekonsternas kameleont En etnografisk studie om traditionell finsk blodkoppning

Willim, Minna LU (2020) SANK02 20201
Social Anthropology
Abstract (Swedish)
Wet cupping, or traditional Finnish cupping has been practised in Finland for several centuries. It is a treatment where blood is removed from the body through a ritual-like procedure. The treatment starts with the cupper making small cuts on the skin with a lancet or cuppers axe. Cups are placed over the cuts, and through the vacuum that emerge under the cups blood is drained. Still in the middle of the 20th Century nearly every Finnish village had a cupper who helped the inhabitants with different ailments and also supported during child labour. Today cuppers are alternative therapist who often combine several techniques for wellbeing. The cuppers want to keep the cupping-tradition alive, while also adjusting to new circumstances such as... (More)
Wet cupping, or traditional Finnish cupping has been practised in Finland for several centuries. It is a treatment where blood is removed from the body through a ritual-like procedure. The treatment starts with the cupper making small cuts on the skin with a lancet or cuppers axe. Cups are placed over the cuts, and through the vacuum that emerge under the cups blood is drained. Still in the middle of the 20th Century nearly every Finnish village had a cupper who helped the inhabitants with different ailments and also supported during child labour. Today cuppers are alternative therapist who often combine several techniques for wellbeing. The cuppers want to keep the cupping-tradition alive, while also adjusting to new circumstances such as regulations for hygiene and the influence from other alternative methods, such as TCM. Cupping is also highly associated with Finnish sauna culture and the way it has shifted.
In this thesis I describe the historical background to cupping in Finland, and show how cupping is practiced in Finland today. I analyse how cuppers and their customers experience the therapy by discussing the symbolic meaning of cupping, concentrating on the tools used, notions of evil or bad blood as well as the importance of the sauna, which is the place where cupping is usually done. The thesis is based on interviews with cuppers as well as ethnographic fieldwork and Internet sources. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Willim, Minna LU
supervisor
organization
course
SANK02 20201
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
symbolic anthropology, medical anthropology, wet cupping therapy, sauna, wellbeing
language
Swedish
id
9029107
date added to LUP
2020-09-13 17:10:38
date last changed
2020-09-13 17:10:38
@misc{9029107,
  abstract     = {{Wet cupping, or traditional Finnish cupping has been practised in Finland for several centuries. It is a treatment where blood is removed from the body through a ritual-like procedure. The treatment starts with the cupper making small cuts on the skin with a lancet or cuppers axe. Cups are placed over the cuts, and through the vacuum that emerge under the cups blood is drained. Still in the middle of the 20th Century nearly every Finnish village had a cupper who helped the inhabitants with different ailments and also supported during child labour. Today cuppers are alternative therapist who often combine several techniques for wellbeing. The cuppers want to keep the cupping-tradition alive, while also adjusting to new circumstances such as regulations for hygiene and the influence from other alternative methods, such as TCM. Cupping is also highly associated with Finnish sauna culture and the way it has shifted.
In this thesis I describe the historical background to cupping in Finland, and show how cupping is practiced in Finland today. I analyse how cuppers and their customers experience the therapy by discussing the symbolic meaning of cupping, concentrating on the tools used, notions of evil or bad blood as well as the importance of the sauna, which is the place where cupping is usually done. The thesis is based on interviews with cuppers as well as ethnographic fieldwork and Internet sources.}},
  author       = {{Willim, Minna}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Koppning botekonsternas kameleont En etnografisk studie om traditionell finsk blodkoppning}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}