Conceptualizing Illness
Nodding Syndrome in Northern Uganda
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14816271 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karin Van Bemmel (Leiden University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 143-152 |
| Publication date | 2020-02-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AVRUG-bulletin/Afrika Focus (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0772-0793 • E-ISSN: 0772-084X |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/2031356x-03301010 |
| OpenAlex | W4247715541 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
This paper presents an ethnographic study of conceptualizations of nodding syndrome (NS) in Uganda. NS is a poorly understood condition characterized by repetitive nodding of the head, mental retardation and stunted growth, which affects thousands of children in northern Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania. Although extensive research for causative agents has been conducted, no convincing single cause has been reported. This study establishes an understanding of different representations of NS and argues that the episodes of head nodding are related to the socio-political body in which they are manifested. Three interwoven approaches towards NS take main stage whereby the syndrome is presented as a biomedical, spiritual and/or political problem. The conceptualizations are linked to different notions of healing and affected families combine various forms of therapy. Through the examination of different narratives, this study disrupts the idea of a singular perspective on illness and pleads for a focus on motion and plurality
Developmental psychology · Ethnography · Ethnology · Linguistics · Mental health · Mental illness · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Tanzania · Anthropology · Immune responses and vaccinations · Psychology
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Nodding syndrome or disease? On the conceptualization of an illness-in-the-making
The rise and fall of nodding syndrome in public discourse
Moving image methodologies for more-than-human geographies
A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Problems among Children Displaced by War in Northern Uganda
The Social Construction of Illness
Phone calls and political ping-pong
Universal classifications, national approaches and specific situations
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |