Biomedical Hegemony and Democracy in South Africa

Ngambouk Vitalis Pemunta, Ph.D, (2009), Central European University, is lecturer of Global Health at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg. He has (co-)authored three monographs and scholarly articles on sexual and reproductive health, and environmental governance.Tabi Chama-James Tabenyang holds an MA in Social Anthropology from Walters Sisulu University, South Africa and is a doctoral candidate in the same field at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

• ForewordAcknowledgementsList of IllustrationsAbbreviationsLocal Words and Expressions1 Prelude: the Globalization of Traditional Knowledge Systems1.1 Introduction1.2 Definition of Concepts1.3 The International Context of TCAM Practices1.4 Different but Complimentary?1.5 Lay Out of Work2 Subject Matter, Method and Theoretical Framework2.1 Introduction2.2 Choice of Study Area2.3 Methodological and Theoretical Framework2.4 Data Analysis2.5 Ethical Considerations and Reflexivity2.6 Theoretical Framework2.7 Conclusion3 Traditional Medicine, Colonialism and Apartheid in South Africa3.1 Introduction3.2 Biomedical Capitalism3.3 Colonialism, Biomedical Hegemony and Alternative Healthcare3.4 The Pre-Colonial Era3.5 The Colonial Era3.6 The Post-Colonial Era3.7 Conclusion4 Democracy, Witchcraft and Traditional Medicine4.1 Introduction4.2 The HIV/AIDS Policy Context, Traditional Medicine and Democracy4.3 The Lingering Socioeconomic Inequalities of the Apartheid Era4.4 The “Return to Tradition” Policy4.5 Shortages of Human Resources for Health4.6 The Adoption of Democracy and the Promotion of Cultural Rights4.7 Traditional Medicine as Cure and a Curse for HIV/AIDS4.8 The Preference for Traditional Healers4.9 Biomedical Hegemony?4.10 Conclusion5 The Sociocultural Context of HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Cape Region5.1 Introduction5.2 The Eastern Cape Region and the Legacy of Apartheid Era Policies5.3 The Sociocultural Context of HIV/AIDS5.3.1 Labour-related Migration5.3.2 Gender Identity and Unprotected Sex5.3.3 Multiple Partnering and Intergenerational Relationships5.3.4 Gender Inequality and Gender-based Violence5.3.5 Teenage Pregnancies5.3.6 Substance Abuse5.3.7 Cultural Factors: Initiation Rituals5.3.7.1 Ukuthwala5.3.7.2 Virginity Testing5.4 Conclusion6 The Debate on the Integration of Traditional Medicine into the Mainstream Healthcare Delivery System in South Africa6.1 Introduction6.2 The Debate for and against Traditional Medicine6.3 Primary Healthcare and the Changing Pattern of Disease6.4 Traditional Medicine and the HIV/AIDS Pandemic6.5 Conclusion7 “African Diseases” and the Epistemology of South African Healers’ Knowledge7.1 Introduction7.2 The African Concept of Health7.3 The Process of Becoming a Healer7.4 Typology of African Traditional Healers7.4.1 Disease as Prelude to Divinership7.5 Prospects for the Integration of Traditional Medicine into Official Healthcare7.6 Enhancing Cooperation between Traditional Healers and Biomedicine7.7 Conclusion8 The Integration of Modern and Traditional Medicine in Qokolweni Location8.1 Introduction8.2 Respondents’ Opinions on Traditional Medicine8.3 Opinions on Traditional Medicine8.3.1 Case Study 1: Vuyo (Fictitious Name)8.3.2 Case Study 2: Bate (Fictious Name)8.3.3 Case Study 3: Monde (Fictious Name)8.4 Perception of Nurses and Traditional Healers8.5 Conclusion9 The Daily Use of Traditional Medicine in Qokolweni Location9.1 Introduction9.2 The African Concept of Health9.3 The Concept of Traditional Medicine in Qokolweni9.4 The Use of Traditional Medicine in Qokolweni9.5 Attitudes and Perceptions towards African Traditional Medicine in Qokolweni9.6 Users of African Traditional Medicine9.7 Recommendations9.8 ConclusionBibliographyIndex