Crystal Meth, “High Blood,” and Spiritual Manifestations Among Injection Drug-Using Youths in Mufakose, Harare
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7473928 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Florence Ncube (0000-0001-6934-1952, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 65-77 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0145-9740 • E-ISSN: 1545-5882 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01459740.2026.2619421 |
| PMID | 41566905 |
| OpenAlex | W7125391108 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
The discovery of illicit exchanges of "highblood" among injection drug-using youths has thrown families off balance in Mufakose. In this article, I explore the (ab)use of biomedical technologies by youths in administering crystal meth as well as the healing pathways pursued by families in cases of illness. I argue that experimenting with blood complicates understandings of meth-induced behaviors because of the meanings attached to blood in the African context. The article draws upon 6 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Mufakose among 30 crystal meth-using youths. I used deep hangouts, life histories, interactive observation, and focus group discussions
Balance (ability · Crystal (programming language · Ethnography · Focus group · Qualitative research · African Studies and Ethnography · Anthropological Studies and Insights · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
Purity and Danger
Art And Agency
Materialising drugged pleasures
Social capital in voluntary savings organisations in South Africa in historical perspective
African-Centered Drug Treatment
Mining-induced displacement and livelihood resilience
Blood as the Seat of Life’
Moving cities
Deleuze and the Theory of Addiction
Neoliberal Subjectivities and the Development of the Night-Time Economy in British Cities
Nothing is Straight in Zimbabwe
Living in Death
The Circulatory System
Bad Blood, Spoiled Milk
The Health Consequences of Cultural Consonance
Parts unknown
Between tortured bodies and resurfacing bones
Bad Blood
Materials against materiality
| Highly cited | No |
|---|