Traditional Practices of Maternal Health and Childbirth among Pastoral Nomadic Communities in Somaliland
Author: Ahmed Nur Muse, ahmed.nmuse@gmail.com
Department: Sociology
University: University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Supervisor: Dr Alicia Davis
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: English
Keywords:
Medical Pluralism
, Traditional Practices
, Childbirth
, Pastoral Nomadic
Areas of Research:
Health
, Family Research
, Women in Society
Abstract
The African traditional healing system has gained increased attention from researchers and policymakers as part of efforts to foster a holistic approach to the healthcare (Al-Adawi, 1993). The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed specific strategies to promote this perspective, adopting and integrating cultural healing practices into public healthcare. As WHO argued, these strategies highlight the importance of traditional medicine in building global efforts that promote the safe and efficient usage of traditional medicine (WHO, 2013).
Medical pluralism refers to the coexistence and interplay of multiple medical authorities within a society (Feierman, 1985, Olsen et al., 2017, Amzat and Razum, 2014). African Medical Pluralism refers to the complex web of medical practices and beliefs unique to the African context (Feierman, 1985). But pluralism in the African context implies the coexistence and the interaction of diverse healing practices with varying interpretations and understanding of health and illness, often leading to seeking multiple treatments (Dilger et al., 2012, Tilikainen, 2012, Rasmussen, 2017). Robert Thornton refers to it as ‘medical parallelism’ rather than ‘pluralism’, arguing that medicine, healing, science, religion, and magic are parallel phenomena in Africa (Thornton, 2015), but it is not mutually exclusive (Olsen et al., 2017). However, this review considers pluralism more relevant to contemporary African realities. Because there is no complete separation of African healing practices nowadays. As David Landy rightly puts it, the African medical system has never been impervious to the influence of biomedicine and other foreign medical systems (Landy, 1977).
This doctoral research explores the traditional practices of maternal health among pastoral nomads in Somaliland, focusing on the plurality of existing approaches. Rather than solely emphasising biomedical systems, it aims to shed light on the diversity of traditional healing practices passed down through generations and used to treat maternal health issues. In addition, it synthesises existing research on maternal health practices among pastoral nomads, focusing on the role and influence of local traditions, customs, rituals, and healing.
According to certain scholars, African cultural practices and beliefs find expression through rituals (Ohaja and Anyim, 2021). Rituals in traditional healing practices promote physical and mental health outcomes such as reduced stress, improved coping skills and better social support in the region (Assefa et al., 2021). Several studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa found that patients who received traditional healing treatments that included rituals experienced significant improvements in their mental health (Assefa et al., 2021, Getnet et al., 2019, Ferdjallah and Hassan, 2021).
The study considers several key themes that shape maternal health in the African context, including the co-existing of multiple therapeutic systems, politics of culture, and social and clinical determinants. In addition, it investigates how global health issues such as biopolitics and neoliberalism, as well as the impacts of colonialism, affect maternal health outcomes.
