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Not so "Traditional" Healing: Constructions of Illness Reality and Spirit Possession in a Rapidly Changing Society in Venda, South Africa
Řezáčová, Vendula ; Kandert, Josef (advisor) ; Kotalova, Jitka (referee) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee)
The present thesis "Not so 'Traditional' Healing: Constructions of Illness Reality and Spirit Possession in a Rapidly Changing Society in Venda, South Africa" aims to analyze socio-cultural and political aspects of 'traditional' healing which had been the focus of fieldwork of the author in 'Venda', South Africa (in the period between 2004-6). In the first section of the thesis the author has shown that the medical concepts and symbols marked as 'traditional' have not formed a closed, time-less system. On the contrary, they have reflected and shaped far-reaching socio-cultural changes in the post-apartheid dispensation characterised by the neo-liberal market reforms, congealing of socio-economic inequalities, transformations of gender identities and the politics of 'tradition' and identity. 'Traditional healing' has thus been constituted through a constant process of (re)invention of symbols and practices which have referred to the 'Venda past' while aiming to delineate boundaries of 'tradition' in relation to biomedicine. The second section of the thesis has focussed on the phenomenon of ancestor spirit possession which has also constituted the means through which 'traditional' healers have been recruited and their claims to knowledge and healing power have been legitimized. In contrast to the...
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Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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Not so "Traditional" Healing: Constructions of Illness Reality and Spirit Possession in a Rapidly Changing Society in Venda, South Africa
Řezáčová, Vendula ; Kandert, Josef (advisor) ; Kotalova, Jitka (referee) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee)
The present thesis "Not so 'Traditional' Healing: Constructions of Illness Reality and Spirit Possession in a Rapidly Changing Society in Venda, South Africa" aims to analyze socio-cultural and political aspects of 'traditional' healing which had been the focus of fieldwork of the author in 'Venda', South Africa (in the period between 2004-6). In the first section of the thesis the author has shown that the medical concepts and symbols marked as 'traditional' have not formed a closed, time-less system. On the contrary, they have reflected and shaped far-reaching socio-cultural changes in the post-apartheid dispensation characterised by the neo-liberal market reforms, congealing of socio-economic inequalities, transformations of gender identities and the politics of 'tradition' and identity. 'Traditional healing' has thus been constituted through a constant process of (re)invention of symbols and practices which have referred to the 'Venda past' while aiming to delineate boundaries of 'tradition' in relation to biomedicine. The second section of the thesis has focussed on the phenomenon of ancestor spirit possession which has also constituted the means through which 'traditional' healers have been recruited and their claims to knowledge and healing power have been legitimized. In contrast to the...
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|
|
Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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Critical look at NGOs practices in the regional development. A contribution to the problems of culture change and processes of aculturation
Kobes, Tomáš ; Skupnik, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Uherek, Zdeněk (referee) ; Kotalová, Jitka (referee)
The activity of NGOs issue is one of the major topic of Slovakian regional development and Romany issue. Participation of Slovakian NGOs was not a matter of course in the issue of regional development. The growing NGOs participation is based upon assumption of the Strategy of Slovakian government explicitly introducing Romany Issue to the context of regional development, NGO and foreign funds. Within the issue of regional development NGOs activities are not understood as a factor of democratization, but they are conceptualized as an initiator of social and cultural change. In the theoretical view classical conceptualization of change is not sufficient. The major theoretical frameworks that are criticised within these concepts are evolutional patterns, idealistic and materialistic determinism. They classify societies and cultural diversity in the dichotomies of traditional vs. modern, underdeveloped vs. developed. The basic mistake of these dichotomies is the idea about different dynamics of constituted social systems, where someone has to live in modernity and another one has to live in his naturalness or in tradition and superstitions. On the other hand the formal standpoint is too abstract without the reflection of social context. Nominated conceptual solution tries to get over these theoretical...
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