Biomedical Hegemony and Democracy in South Africa

By Ngambouk Vitalis Pemunta and Tabi Chama-James Tabenyang

In Biomedical Hegemony and Democracy in South Africa Ngambouk Vitalis Pemunta and Tabi Chama-James Tabenyang unpack the contentious South African government's post-apartheid policy framework of the ''return to tradition policy''. The conjuncture between deep sociopolitical crises, witchcraft, the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic and the government's initial reluctance to adopt antiretroviral therapy turned away desperate HIV/AIDS patients to traditional healers.

Drawing on historical sources, policy documents and ethnographic interviews, Pemunta and Tabenyang convincingly demonstrate that despite biomedical hegemony, patients and members of their therapy-seeking group often shuttle between modern and traditional medicine, thereby making both systems of healthcare complementary rather than alternatives. They draw the attention of policy-makers to the need to be aware of ''subaltern health narratives'' in designing health policy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 900452441X
• ISBN13: 9789004524415
• Release Date: April 2023
• Publisher: Brill
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"