Cultural Patterns of Health Care Beliefs and Practices among Muslim Women in Uzbekistan

Authors

  • Z. Tursunova The University of Manitoba
  • M. Kamp The University of Wyoming
  • N. Azizova Freelance Social\Gender consultant
  • L. Azizova College at the Tashkent Institute of Communication

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/hcs.2014.124

Keywords:

chronic illness, Muslim, culture care, healing, health care beliefs, herbs, minority

Abstract

The purpose of this ethnographic study is to describe and analyse the meanings and uses of healthpromotion practices and beliefs, healing practices and folk medicine for Uzbek Muslim women.Contemporary healing practices can be seen as combining shamanic and Islamic concepts aboutdisease and healing, Sufi Research focus.

The research questions ask how participants make decisions to seek remedies throughhealing practices, and how and whether they experience these choices and actions as empowering.The research also asks about what sorts of conditions women seeks to address through traditionalhealing practices; those in this study discussed seeking out such healing for colds, bronchitis, heartdisease, arthritis, as well as emotional and economic distress.Significance. With the increasing migration of Uzbeks to Canada, strength-based health care provisionapproach based on person-centred care, empowerment, health promotion and prevention and collaborative partnership is crucial in achieving quality of care.

Author Biographies

Z. Tursunova, The University of Manitoba

Dr. Zulfiya Tursunova is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Faculty of Nursing at the Univerity of Manitoba. She received her Ph.D. from A.V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba. She is currently the principal investigator of a research project that aims to explore decision-making and negotiation processes between the family caregiver and care recipient as they deal with chronic illness in the Filipino community in Manitoba. Her professional experience is focused on health and culture care, community development, communication and conflict resolution methods, and feminist research. Her Ph.D. dissertation, “Livelihood, Empowerment, and Conflict Resolution in the Lives of Indigenous Women in Uzbekistan” examined women’s healing rituals and grassroot conflict resolution methods to address socio-economic challenges after the collapse of the ex-USSR. She has organized previous workshops and conferences related to chronic illness in First Nations communities in Manitoba. She plans to continue focusing her research on immigrant health in Manitoba by looking at culture care, ethnicity, gender, and communication in the context of family caregiving and chronic or serious illness.

M. Kamp, The University of Wyoming

Dr. Marianne Kamp is Associate Professor of History at the University of Wyoming. She earned her PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. She is the author of The New Woman in Uzbekistan: Islam, Modernity, and Unveiling under Communism (University of Washington 2006), and of numerous articles about twentieth century social history of Uzbekistan, and gender studies of Central Asia.

N. Azizova, Freelance Social\Gender consultant

Nodira Azizova is a freelance Social\Gender consultant. As  a national expert she is participating in implementation of number of projects from Asian Development Bank such as Regional Railway Rehabilitation Project (2004), Off-grid Renewable Energy Development Project (2005), Rural Renewable Energy Development Project(2006), Water Resources Management Sector Project (2008), CAREC-2 Road Investment Program, Tranche 2 (2009-2010, Solar Energy Development (2013).

L. Azizova, College at the Tashkent Institute of Communication

Lobar Azizova is a student at the college at the Tashkent Institute of Communication in Uzbekistan.

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Published

2014-05-19

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2014): Cultural Realities To Health

Section

Articles

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