From Faith Healer to a Medical Doctor: Creating Biomedical Hegemony

Anwaar Mohyuddin, Mamonah Ambreen

Department of Anthropology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Lecturer, DNFCE, Allama Iqbal Open Univetsity, Islamabad, Pakistan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojapps.2014.42007                

Abstract

The present research was conducted in Zandra village of Ziarat district in the province of Balochistan. Anthropological research techniques were used to collect empirical data. In this article, an effort has been made to understand the natives’ cultural beliefs and practices in health care sector. The main focus of this research was to understand the nature of development, internal and external factors responsible for the changes and the actual beneficiaries of the development. An effort has also been made to find out the health care systems working in the village which included both faith healing and allopathic medicines. Initially the natives were using traditional and spiritual healing systems, but now as their economic condition and literacy rate are increasing, they are more inclined towards the modern methods of treatment. During the last 3 decades, many changes have been witnessed. Awareness through media and shift from subsistence to market economy have increased the use of allopathic medicines due to the fact that the natives have started opting for secondary sources of income. Besides, researcher’s endeavor to explore the shift from traditional to modern healthcare and the disparity between natives’ health related beliefs and practices, the impact of which has been analyzed in light of world system theory at micro level.

Keywords

Religious Beliefs; Faith Healing; Amulet; Niaz; Dum; Allopathic Medicine; Pharmaceutical Industry

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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