Negotiating science, power, and identity: The institutionalization of Ayurveda in contemporary India

Ayurveda, an ancient medical system of India, has evolved through various historical and cultural contexts, starting from Royal patronage, colonial dominance and to patronage of secular state. While science is often perceived as objective and free of social influence, it is, in reality shaped by social forces. This paper explores the institutionalization of Ayurveda, focusing on its transformation into a recognized science of medicine across different phases. Using a systematic review of the literature and semi-structured interviews with Ayurvedic practitioners, student-interns, and state bureaucrats, the study investigates the role of key social agencies – namely the state, religion, and market-in Ayurveda's growth and transformation. It examines the state's influence in Ayurveda's integration into the public health system, its regulation, and its recognition as a legitimate medical system. Additionally, the paper analyses the negotiation between Ayurveda's traditional roots and its modernization, addressing the secularization of the practice within a democratic framework. The study is grounded in the Sociology of Scientific knowledge (SSK) and Foucauldian theories of power/knowledge and governmentality to analyze the dynamics of knowledge, authority, and regulation in Ayurveda's development. It critically examines the complex relationship between state patronage, secularism, and democracy, and how these intersect to shape the legitimacy of Ayurveda in contemporary India. This paper highlights how political power, cultural context, and economic factors influence the construction and perception of Ayurvedic knowledge. • Medicine functions as a form of political power that shapes the legitimacy, authority, and survival of medical knowledge systems. • Drawing on interviews with practitioners, student-interns, and bureaucrats, the study offers an empirical account of Ayurveda's contemporary institutionalization. • State patronage across ancient, colonial, and post-independence periods has profoundly restructured Ayurveda's education, research, and practice. • Shifting regimes, ideologies, and ecological conditions have transformed Ayurvedic knowledge production and therapeutic practices. • Contemporary state interventions seek to reposition Ayurveda as a secular and scientific medical system within global health frameworks.