XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

283

Entangled Histories, Corporate Capitalism, and Healthcare Delivery in the Global South

RC15 Sociology of Health (host committee)

Language: English

The historical forces of slavery, colonialism, and imperialism have culminated in a structural imbalance of power relations between erstwhile colonial masters and colonial states and this is still evident in virtually every aspect of the global south including healthcare services. One of the subtle, but profound philosophy for the imposition of western medicine as mainstream (and therefore dominant) healthcare system, is the labelling of non-western health systems as irrational, inferior, and retrogressive. In this session, we would like to challenge this widely adopted myth by not only exploring the historical antecedents that propelled the penetration of health corporate capitalism in the global south, with its underlying economic interests and cultural domination, but also by analysing the emergence of renewed interests in other forms of medicine. Non-western traditions of healing need proper and systematic engagement by scholars to explore their potential impacts on non-western societies and globally. Thus, this session is intended to attract the submission of abstracts by scholars to discuss:

1. The ideological and philosophical musings on power relations that underpin health policies in the global south and their impact on healthcare delivery;
2. The circumstances, challenges, and prospects of indigenous healing practices focusing on specific countries;
3. A reconsideration of the theoretical and epistemic assumptions of western and non-western medicines;
4. The ideological and economic factors that frame health policies in the global south;
5. Empirical research on non-western healing practices; and
6. The complexities, challenges, and opportunities that characterize non-western medicines in the global south and globally.