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Cultural Discourses of Health

Cultural Discourses of Health. Donal Carbaugh Elena Nuciforo University of Massachusetts Amherst. Communication. As a scientific discipline Linguistics plus multiple channels Community-based Research As Formative of Nature, Society, Community Edward Sapir

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Cultural Discourses of Health

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  1. Cultural Discourses of Health DonalCarbaugh Elena Nuciforo University of Massachusetts Amherst

  2. Communication • As a scientific discipline • Linguistics plus multiple channels • Community-based Research • As Formative of Nature, Society, Community • Edward Sapir • Science is itself a Communication System • Vocabulary, beliefs, values • As an approach to Health • What is a disease? • How is it to be treated? • What are risky/healthy behavior practices? • How are they expressed and interpreted?

  3. Perspective: Cultural Discourse • Cultural Discourse Analysis unveils deep codes in Action • Code = Cultural Terms + Local Practices + Rules • Formative of several inter-related factors: • Integrative theory, methodology (e.g., security, health, environment; identify gaps between and link groups) • Cultural Discourses must be (in each case): • Discovered, Described, Interpreted • Scientific/Agency Discourse is itself a Cultural Discourse Carbaugh, 1988, 2007, 2009; Philipsen 1997

  4. Procedure: CuDA Analysis • Discourses = identify strategic actions, identities, places • Diagnose Gaps: between humanitarian workers and local farmers, between agencies, scientists and communities • What to do? Design Process, “Just listen” • Methodology: Cultural Research; Language Research • Research Team: Director, Field Specialists, Field “Experts” (local team members); Multiple flows of expertise • Multiple Data Points: Observations; Intensive Interviewing; Cultural coding; Identify Comm. Codes • Produces: Map of local discursive terrain from participants’ view; Bases for Designing best actions

  5. Investigative Cycle:Inter-Discourse Gaps & Bridges 1) Agency Discourse 1 4) Designing Action 2) Field Site: Discourse 2 3) Alignments, Gaps

  6. 5 Phases of Analysis: For Each Discourse Carbaugh 1996, 2005, 2007; Carbaugh and Hastings 1992

  7. Project: Security (2005-2010) • Dr. Derek Miller, Lisa Rudnick, Project Managers • United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (Geneva) • DC: Research Advisory Group Member, Research Support Director (Nepal) • SNAP: Security Needs Assessment Protocol • Ghana, post-conflict situation • Dagbani terms: “security”? • Working with “small mouth and big ears”: Prof Yankah,Thanks • Integrates: Policy, Cultural Research, Design (Glen Cove) • SNAP Report (Miller and Rudnick)

  8. Alcohol Consumption in Russia • Meeting in Sochi (August 12, 2009),President Medvedev: “And our current demographic problems mostly are connected to alcohol consumption. As we understand it, alcoholism leads to incurable diseases, such as cardio-vascular pathologies, suicides, committing serious crimes, and just everyday injuries - they happen a lot, and I think that about 80 percent of these happen under the influence of alcohol.”

  9. Drinking Discourse – Policy and Folk(abnormal and stigmatized drinking) • Key policy terms : alcoholism, alcoholization, drunkenness, the drunks • Key folk terms: alcoholic, “he/she drinks,” “he/she drunk him/herself down,” drunkard Assumptions about identity – reckless, dependent, socially inept, egotistic; place/dwelling – unidentified, all over the place, street; social action – unstructured, erratic, focused on drinking as a priority before other cultural reasons, in need of external regulation; emotions/feelings – shameful, inconsiderate, pitiful, low.

  10. Drinking Discourse (normal drinking) • Describe and interpret drinking practices: “normal” drinking • Ritualistic drinking – certain sequence of events that are structured to celebrate a sacred object of (a) event occasion; (b) bonding; (c) challenge to the surrounding environment external to the group • Social drama – the flow of events is broken when somebody refuses to drink. Two outcomes (a) schism leading to rupture of social relations; (b) repairing the relationships, bringing them to another level Outcomes: learn about the value of drinking in various social environments; recommendations for developing communication/media products in strategic health communication

  11. Investigative Cycle:Inter-Discourse Gaps & Bridges 1) Agency Discourse 1 4) Designing Action 2) Field Site: Discourse 2 3) Alignments, Gaps

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