Healing and morality: a Javanese example.
Social science & medicine (1982) January 1, 1985 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(85)90422-8 via PubMed
Summary
Javanese traditional medicine is shaped by Sufi Muslim concepts of personhood, knowledge, and magical power, creating two conflicting medical modalities: one based on curers' magic (dukun) and the other on Sufi saints' religiously validated powers. The blending of magical and biomedical knowledge allows Javanese to see traditional and biomedical cures as part of a unified health system. Comparing Javanese medical, religious, and political systems reveals that cultural domains share structural uniformity due to the hierarchical organization of cultural knowledge, and studying traditional medicine requires understanding world view.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The structural uniformity of Javanese medical, religious, and political systems stems from the hierarchical organization of cultural knowledge, and the study of traditional medicine cannot be separated from world view. |
Abstract
Javanese traditional medicine is based on Sufi Muslim notions of personhood, knowledge and magical power. This world view motivates two conflicting modalities of medical practice: one based on the magic powers of curers (dukun), the others on the religiously validated powers of Sufi saints. The association of magical and bio-medical knowledge allows Javanese to interpret traditional and bio-medical cures as components of a unified health care system. Comparison of Javanese medical, religious and political systems suggests that the structural uniformity of cultural domains derives from the hierarchical organization of cultural knowledge and that the study of traditional medicine and medical pluralism can not be undertaken apart from that of world view.