spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State

industrialized world” (Helman 2007:94; see also Vaughan 1991:6; Igun 1992:147; Janzen
2002:40, 67; Louw 2008:42).
1.4 HEALTH DISCOURSES
Studying health issues in the African context involves dealing with medical diversity.
Therapeutic pluralism has always been part and parcel of the African context (Orley 1980:127;
Feierman & Janzen 1992:4; Good 2004:10), although the presence of Western biomedicine has
confidently dominated the medical scene in such a way that it seemed the only authorized option
for health-seekers. This disparity in the range of health options came into existence under
colonial rule and missionary influence, but for a few decades now some changes have been
noticeable in the African healing landscape: the distinct boundaries between indigenous healing
practices and Western biomedical treatment are diminishing, due to increasing collaboration
between the two health discourses (Neumann 1982:217; Khamalwa 2006:86; Amutabi
2008:159). In addition to the growing complementarity between allopathic medicine and other
health traditions, the importance of lay persons involved in the healing process is increasingly
recognized (cf. Rasmussen 2008:11). Not only do healers and specialists articulate and transmit
the various health ideas of their particular discourse, but lay persons also play their part in
treating diseases and in producing medical knowledge. Taking these developments into
consideration, it seems obvious that the range of health ideas and practices in Africa is
increasing, and that African healing perspectives are continuously being synthesized. The fusion
of the many health concepts is not a haphazard process, but happens according to the logics of
experience and response based on the available resources within a specific context. When
considering the context of Southern Africa, the evolution of health ideas takes place within the
scope of different but interrelated discourses.
At this point, it is necessary to explain in greater depth what is actually meant by ‘discourse’,
since the term is used in numerous ways and in various disciplines. ‘Discourse’ carries multiple
meanings, and often even a synthesis of meanings. So, in trying to avoid the pitfall of using the
term without clarifying how ‘discourse’ is understood in this research, the following paragraphs
address the meaning of the term as applied in the remainder of this research.
1.4.1 Discourse theory
The use of the term discourse in current research (particularly in the field of cultural theory,
linguistics and social psychology and critical discourse analysis) is mostly defined by the work
of Michel Foucault. Although his approach did not result in a neatly worked out and systematic
definition of discourse, Foucault regarded ‘discourse’ as a prominent issue of attention, because
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