How the Body Gets Healthy
An Empirical Case of Animism and Naturalism Working Together in the Treatment of Disease Among the Nuosu People of Southwest China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4898866 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Qian Sun (0000-0001-8556-2464, Southwest Minzu University), Ximing Xue (Southwest Minzu University, corresponding author), Chen (0009-0003-9584-6905), Chen Chen (0000-0002-9786-8003, Southwest Minzu University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 533 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16040533 |
| OpenAlex | W4409608574 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
This paper examines perceptions of illness and related therapeutic practices observed among the Nuosu, an ethnic minority group of Southwest China. The paper will discuss the interplay between animism and naturalism in the treatment of Nuosu illness. Through a case study of a young Nuosu woman's treatment of illness, the analysis reveals a relationship between animism and naturalism that is both antagonistic and synergistic. At the epistemological level, these two ontologies diverge; however, when confronted with differences in knowledge, the Nuosu worldview and view of illness exhibit a 'relational' model of intimate connection between human and non-human entities. The Nuosu did not reject naturalism, but rather 'made connections' in a way that led to greater intellectual convergence between animism and naturalism, thus providing a basis for cooperation between the two. On a practical level, modern medicine focuses on physical healing, while the Nuosu's rituals emphasize the healing of the soul and body to achieve health. The integration of animism and naturalism in the healing process by the Nuosu allowed for cooperation and complementarity between the two in the realm of practice
Animism · Archaeology · China · Disease · Epistemology · Mind–body problem · Naturalism · Pathology · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Medicine · Philosophy
Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology
Asian Medical Systems
Ojibwa Ontology, Behavior, and World View
Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture
The Chicken and the Egg
Beyond Nature and Culture
Staying with the Trouble
Illness episodes, illness severity and treatment options in a pluralistic setting
Animism and science in European perspective
Two-Eyed Seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together indigenous and mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing
Overlapping ontologies and Indigenous knowledge. From integration to ontological self-determination
Animism and Science
Cosmological Deixis and Amerindian Perspectivism
The Navajo Healing Project
Ritual Healing and the Politics of Identity in Contemporary Navajo Society
The relative native
Immanence and fear
Biomedical Practice and Anthropological Theory
Animistic epistemology
Rethinking the animate, re-animating thought
Path dependence in historical sociology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |