The "Sangoma" or the Healthcare Center? Health-Seeking Practices of Women Living in the Mangaung Township (Bloemfontein, South Africa)

Naomi Yvonne Mbelekani; Amanda M. Young-Hauser; Jan K. Coetzee

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.13.1.12

Authors

Naomi Yvonne Mbelekani University of the Free State, South Africa
Amanda M. Young-Hauser University of the Free State, South Africa
Jan K. Coetzee University of the Free State, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.13.1.12

Keywords:

Health-Seeking Practices, Illness, South Africa, Caregiver, Western Medicine, Traditional Medicine

Abstract

Traditional and Western medicine are both commonplace in South Africa, and are often consulted in conjunction with each other. The article aims to fill critical knowledge gaps in understanding how women as caregivers decide on medication when experiencing illness in the home. In order to achieve valid and rich in-depth understanding about the types of medicine that individuals opt for, a narrative study was conducted. The research participants are women from Bloemfontein’s townships. Analysis of the participants’ narratives suggests that there are social-economic, traditional, and cultural trajectories associated with negotiating medical treatment. The findings indicate that the context in which individuals give meaning to, diagnose, and treat illness influences their remedial choices. Accordingly, many individuals constantly shift between different types of remedies, as they believe that they yield different, but unique possibilities and solutions.

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Author Biographies

Naomi Yvonne Mbelekani, University of the Free State, South Africa

Naomi Yvonne Mbelekani obtained her Master’s degree in the program The Narrative Study of Lives, Department of Sociology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Amanda M. Young-Hauser, University of the Free State, South Africa

Amanda M. Young-Hauser is a Research Fellow in the program The Narrative Study of Lives at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She did her PhD at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Jan K. Coetzee, University of the Free State, South Africa

Jan K. Coetzee is a Senior Professor of Sociology and Director of the program The Narrative Study of Lives in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He specializes in qualitative sociology and serves on several international advisory boards.

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