<p>This study describes and analyses understanding ‘illness’ among clients and</p><p>leaders of the spiritual tradition Candomblé in Rio de Janeiro. The study</p><p>focuses on the individuals’ narratives of illness and of healing rituals within</p><p>the cult. Particular attention is given to the consultation ritual called jogo de</p><p>búzios, which is one of the main practices of finding the reason for the illness</p><p>as well as its cure. The emphasis in this study is on the necessity to look at</p><p>medical pluralism, the socio-individual context of illness and narrativity as an</p><p>intersubjective practice. The conclusion is reached that illness within</p><p>Candomblé ideology can be understood as disequilibrium in a person’s</p><p>lifeworld.</p><p>The individual is approached from within the plurimedical context of</p><p>both biomedical and Candomblé healing tradition in Rio. Here it is argued that</p><p>the person creates meaning of the illness in relation to different aspects of his</p><p>lifeworld. The individual’s lifeworld includes the urban context of Rio de</p><p>Janeiro; therefore a brief discussion is developed about how this context</p><p>influences the individual meaning production of the illness. The Candomblé</p><p>house is described with its social structure and other elements that are</p><p>important for understanding how the cult might work for the clients as an</p><p>alternative and/or complementary medical treatment.</p><p>The study progressively introduces and analyses the lifestories of the</p><p>individuals that approach the Candomblé cult in order to seek treatment. It</p><p>also is concerned with stories of the Candomblé leaders and their view on the</p><p>phenomenology of the Body, the Self and the social milieu of the person.</p><p>Finally, the study emphasises the importance of studies that focus on the</p><p>individual’s interpretation of the relations between the Self and the Body, and</p><p>the individual’s understanding of medical knowledge and practice.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:uu-4466 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Brzezinska, Magdalena |
| Publisher | Uppsala University, Cultural Anthropology, Uppsala : Kulturantropologiska avdelningen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
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