Thesis Chapters by Sohayla El Fakahany
Individuals around the world use different spiritual and healing practices that are rooted in dif... more Individuals around the world use different spiritual and healing practices that are rooted in different religio-cultural traditions. Religious and cultural traditions shape the way people practice spirituality and healing methods. The adaptability of spirituality led to the existence of different hybridized forms of traditionally existing spiritual practices. Many consider hybridity a form of cultural and spiritual appropriation. “Cultural appropriation can often seem morally problematic. When abstract schemas are filled in with details from actual events, we often find misrepresentation, misuse, and theft of the stories, styles, and material heritage of people who have been historically dominated and remain socially marginalized” (Matthes, 2016). This definition of appropriation helps one understand critiques against the rise of accessibility and availability of practices, in general, and spiritual rituals, in particular. It is considered unethical cultural appropriation when the appropriated cultures receive more harm than good. This can occur when practices are taken for granted with no understanding of their values. That being said, the same cannot be applied to spirituality. It is inapplicable because 1) traditional wisdom was created to be used by all people at all times and 2) spiritual seekers and practitioners have to understand and study the intricate details of their practices to be able to offer their services. This chapter provides an alternative approach to what is critiqued as spiritual and cultural appropriation. I start this chapter by introducing the theories of hybridity and syncretism, which are critiqued for their limitations. I then analyze the difference between adoption, adaptation, and appropriation. Afterwards, I suggest the implementation of the notion of cultural additivity and the Mindsponge mechanism in order to navigate the adaptation of spiritual practices. Considering that not all use of symbols is backed by understanding and respect, I assess the stylistic choices made by individuals, as fashion and art are the primary industries that get accused of appropriation. In the last sections, I use Eastern traditions’ objectives and glocal yoga to critique cultural appropriation accusations. Finally, I end this chapter with recommendations on how to avoid cultural and spiritual appropriation.
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The increasing attention given to spiritual and holistic healing practices led to their commercia... more The increasing attention given to spiritual and holistic healing practices led to their commercialization and commodification, which then changed them to consumption products. Humans of the 21st century seek healing services and buy objects to improve their minds, body, and soul and heal their afflictions. There is an abundance of conflicting literature that analyzes how formalization through commodification affected spirituality and wellness from a Western perspective. This leaves the non-Western view understudied.
In this chapter, I outline how Egyptians, who seek those types of services, perceive the different modalities and their abundance and make meanings of their decisions, which helps introduce a classical sociological debate that critiques the availability and abundance of spiritual services. I then juxtapose these ideas, such as the spiritual supermarket, against their critics who support the accessibility of such services and view them as having a positive impact on the greater good. I position myself with the critics of the spiritual supermarket by showing how credentialism and commodification, although available, are hard work. I do this by using my interlocutors' voices of spiritual and energy workers and facilitators and my own experiences. These experiences underline another layer of my critique to the critique of availability and accessibility, where I argue that New Age thinkers tend to over-ritualize these practices conceptually to question ritual efficacy even if individuals do not relate to these modalities as rituals. This also resonates with collective and individualistic performances of spirituality where different people from different cultures carry out similar activities and buy products that reflect certain beliefs and affiliations. I end this chapter by arguing that instead of using Marxist and modernist ideological explanations, it is more holistic and encompassing that theorists analyze the discursive nuances, and the meanings people hold, in the Foucauldian sense, when researching spirituality and how it relates to economics, careerism, commodification, and capitalism.
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Spirituality is believed to provide one with a sense of connection to something bigger than onese... more Spirituality is believed to provide one with a sense of connection to something bigger than oneself; it provides a path to follow to search for the meaning of life. In comparison to religion, it can be said that spirituality is more individualistic; it has to do with the spirit; the true meaning of being human inside one’s inner self. On the other hand, religion focuses on having collective and shared beliefs, rules, and practices. Taylor (2015) adopts Bonvillain’s definition of religion, which I find essential to add here: “Bonvillain describes the functions of religion in five ways: (1) explains the world and provides answers for the unknown, (2) provides solace and healing for the exigencies of daily life, (3) motivates and supports societal cohesion, (4) attempts to maintain social control through a system of rewards or punishments reinforced by moral and ethical beliefs, and (5) offers a means of adapting to the environment through regularized, sanctioned practices.”
With this being one of religion’s definitions, it differentiates it from spirituality because being spiritual does not result in social control, and it also does not depend on a system of reward and punishment. Additionally, its practices are not strictly sanctioned or regularized. One can be not religious but has a strong sense of spirituality, a strong sense of connection to the world. Similar to religion, spirituality has always been connected with rituals and healing.
There has been a revival to spiritual and alternative healing in this current moment. “The word ‘spiritual’ originates from the Latin word ‘spiritus’ meaning ‘breath of life.’ The spiritual aspect refers to spiritual energy working at a deep level on our spiritual being. The healing involves the transfer of energy; in other words, it is not from the healer him or herself, but the healer links with ‘Universal’ or Divine energy to channel healing for the mind, body and spirit” (Mason, 2010). Spiritual healing is an example of alternative or complementary medicine/techniques. This mode of healing is traditional and rooted in ancient times, and with the renaissance and the exclusivity of scientific modes of knowledge production and consumption, it was left almost neglected and, in some places, deemed ignorant, backward, and frowned upon. That being said, there has been a rise in these services' supply and demand during the 21st century. These modalities have been modernized and hybridized to cater to 21st century humans and their needs and expectations.
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Curation is the process of carefully selecting, organizing, and presenting spaces to create a coh... more Curation is the process of carefully selecting, organizing, and presenting spaces to create a cohesive experience. It used to be exclusively associated with museums, art galleries, and exhibitions, but it is now used to create experiences for different spaces both on the ground and online. "Additionally, in a commercial and media environment characterized ever more by profusion and ephemerality, curation has leaped its professional bounds to become virtually ubiquitous in twenty-first-century marketing" (Penry, 2020). Businesses create and curate their online and on-the-ground spaces to send specific marketing messages to their clients and create unique brand identities. This changes curation to an experience that happens on the
subconscious level (Ibid). When people visit a museum, they are conscious and aware that the curators of this museum deliberately organized the space to make them have a specific experience with a particular flow. In healing spaces, owners usually have a vision that seeks to give the visitor a sense of numinosity, safety, and comfort. Understanding healing as an experience from the perspective of the healees in relation to the aspects that create this experience is crucial in understanding the healing process itself. Hence, in this chapter, I introduce my several sites using the curation and attention, or lack thereof, to aesthetic details that evoke certain emotions and affective experiences for their clients and visitors. I begin this chapter with a focus on the space and time of the healing experiences of those healed and the
creation and curation of healing spaces and then move to introduce aesthetic aspects of distant healing, foreknowledge services and applications, and advertisements that take place online.
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AUC Fount, 2021
In contemporary Cairo, people turn to various modes of spiritual, alternative, and complementary ... more In contemporary Cairo, people turn to various modes of spiritual, alternative, and complementary healing. Some are rooted in formal religious traditions, and others are inspired by a new globalized form of holistic healing such as yoga or meditation. What makes these practices more controversial than spiritual healing practices like el-Zar or el-Hadra is the exchange of money for the promise of healing or foreknowledge. Spiritual healing is often deemed “charlatanistic” by religious exclusivists. This entanglement of the practices with religion creates a threat because it provides an alternative to the modes of religiosity supplied by the main hegemonic Egyptian religious and cultural institutions. There is an interesting crosspollination between formal religious ideologies about healing and contemporary hybridized modes. A yoga instructor, for instance, might also position the practice of yoga within a religious lifestyle, whether Christian or Muslim.
In this research, I explore people’s motivations in choosing or refraining from seeking different kinds of alternative modalities in relation to affliction and healing. The purpose of this project is to answer the question, what factors affect people’s decision of seeking or refraining from pursuing spiritual and alternative practices in contemporary Cairo? Combining preexisting debates and theories with three years of fieldwork and online and on the ground ethnographic research, I aim to delve deeper into the reasons and meanings behind people’s choices. These preexisting debates include notions of modernity, mysticism, commodification, careerism, ritual efficacy, performance, governmentality, biopolitics, state-society relations, interpellation, and cultural appropriation. The limitations of these notions and the alike critiques by New Age thinkers are that they do not consider the positive impact these practices might have on people’s wellbeing, discursive formations, and the creation of meaning. I answer the question and analyze these critiques using a multi-sited interpretive reflexive ethnography that was conducted by carrying out participant observation in five wellness places, two from-home practitioners, and five online applications. The interlocutors and interviewees are spiritual healing practitioners and wellness places’ owners. In Egypt, there is a widespread lack of social acceptance that is rooted in financial, religious, and scientific preferences. Locally, this lack of acceptance is also supported by the government, which exerts effort to cancel the existence of unorthodox practices. Globally, there is also a lack of acceptance that is rooted in not only economic and scientific reasons, but also cultural ones such as cultural and spiritual appropriation. This piece advocates for having a more holistic approach to wellbeing in conversations about affliction and healing.
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Papers by Sohayla El Fakahany
Current Sexual Health Reports, 2024
Purpose of Review
This comprehensive review article delves into the intricate landscape of sexual... more Purpose of Review
This comprehensive review article delves into the intricate landscape of sexual health and reproductive rights among women refugees. It explores the multifaceted challenges women encounter in safeguarding their sexual and reproductive well-being with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. It also includes findings and themes found in research conducted in the past five years.
Recent Findings
Recent findings underscore the myriad challenges faced by refugee women concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights. Findings show that the refugee status exacerbates socioeconomic disparities, nationality discrimination, and gender inequality. Furthermore, the results show that women refugees at large and Syrian refugee women in specific experience limited access to healthcare services, alongside issues related to agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy.
Summary
This review delves into the sexual health and reproductive rights of women refugees and emphasizes their significance. It explores the challenges faced in these domains, including discrimination and socioeconomic disparities. It also addresses broader issues such as limited healthcare access, agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy. By extrapolating insights relevant to female refugees globally, the review emphasizes the crucial need for tailored interventions and the amplification of refugee women's voices in research and policy-making processes.
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Anthropology of the Middle East, Jun 1, 2024
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Oxford open digital health, Jun 4, 2024
In the Arab Region, the availability of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) resource... more In the Arab Region, the availability of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) resources is hindered by structural sociocultural barriers. In response to these challenges, youth and activists have turned to digital platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media accounts to improve access to SRHR information and services. The coalescence of such digital platforms has created a complimentary social space that exists to improve the sought for an equal, accessible, and empowering SRHR environment. Drawing from Asef Bayat’s concept of social non-movements, this research analyzes SRHR in repressive and conservative settings within the Arab region. The methodology employed includes a digital ethnography on SRHR-related online platforms and an online anonymous survey with young Arab individuals. Through the analysis, it becomes evident that online mobilization efforts may be framed as social non-movements and the role of such digital platforms is imperative to the improvement of youth’s SRHR. Recommendations for improvement include prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education through reformation of curricula, normalizing SRHR and engaging communities in locally and culturally sensitive discourses, disseminating SRHR through media and outreach programs, enhancing accessibility and support, creating more cohesive networks of support and knowledge, and promoting trusted SRHR services and platforms. The coupling between the online space, which has proven to fill in gaps that exist socially, with the formal healthcare system is bound to produce strides in the advocacy for gender equality and equitable access to healthcare in the region.
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Anthropology of the Middle East. Berghahn Journals, 2024
This article delves into the intricate interplay among state institutions, belief systems, domina... more This article delves into the intricate interplay among state institutions, belief systems, dominant discourses and alternative spiritual healing practices in Egypt. It scrutinises the challenges encountered by individuals seeking spiritual healing within a societal framework shaped by educational and religious institutions, social norms, media and the law. Employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates social anthropology, discourse analysis and cultural studies, the research sheds light on the regulations and limitations imposed on individuals by state-generated discourses, compelling adherence to prescribed rules and belief systems. The analysis explores how power hierarchy and dominant institutions, which categorise certain practices as disordered due to their ritualistic nature, are challenged by practitioners persisting in their work and seekers continuing to pursue these services.
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Oxford Open Digital Health, 2024
In the Arab Region, the availability of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) resource... more In the Arab Region, the availability of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) resources is hindered by structural sociocultural barriers. In response to these challenges, youth and activists have turned to digital platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media accounts to improve access to SRHR information and services. The coalescence of such digital platforms has created a complimentary social space that exists to improve the sought for an equal, accessible, and empowering SRHR environment.
Drawing from Asef Bayat’s concept of social non-movements, this research analyzes SRHR in repressive and conservative settings within the Arab region. The methodology employed includes a digital ethnography on SRHR-related online platforms and an online anonymous survey with young Arab individuals. Through the analysis, it becomes evident that online mobilization efforts may be framed as social non-movements and the role of such digital platforms is imperative to the improvement of youth’s SRHR.
Recommendations for improvement include prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education through reformation of curricula, normalizing SRHR and engaging communities in locally and culturally sensitive discourses, disseminating SRHR through media and outreach programs, enhancing accessibility and support, creating more cohesive networks of support and knowledge, and promoting trusted SRHR services and platforms. The coupling between the online space, which has proven to fill in gaps that exist socially, with the formal healthcare system is bound to produce strides in the advocacy for gender equality and equitable access to healthcare in the region.
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CRTD.A, 2023
Despite its diversity, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is characterized by patriarchal so... more Despite its diversity, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is characterized by patriarchal social structures and family units that prioritize men's roles in both public and private spheres. This situation has only recently been contested by governmental policy and family law reforms. Since the ICPD- 1994, governments have committed to enhancing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young people (YP) by offering integrated health services, such as contraception for sexually active teenagers and health education. The majority of the world still falls well short of these standards, particularly for YP who are not married, but the Arab countries are particularly disadvantaged in this regard (Shepart & Dejong, 2005; DeJong, Jawad, Mortagy & Shepard, 2005; DeJong & El-Khoury, 2006).
This research is a field study, that aims to map and capture multidimensional inequalities in six targeted countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia) and provide knowledge on the current inequalities hindering the full realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) with a focus on the perspective of the study target of young population aged 18- 35 years. This research also aims at generating knowledge that contributes to support project interventions in the MENA region, and to attempt to answer questions related to the following two main themes:
1. Progress in claiming SRHR in targeted country: To what extent have the young people achieved freedom to enjoy their SRHR in the targeted country? How are international set of SRHR exercised? How SRHR fulfilment intersects with gender, class, economic ecosystem, race, age, geography, social norms, and attitudes?
2. Social Inclusiveness in targeted country: How inclusive and equal a given community or society is (it can be more than one) in the targeted country from the perspective of the young people? What is the configuration of socioeconomic factors, social spending and access to health and education, legal frameworks, cultural norms, and social attitudes, and how are they manifested in the current inequalities in the targeted country?
The main themes were researched using qualitative methodology. Data were gathered to understand key drivers to inequalities and the power dynamics and factors impeding the full realization of SRHR. Qualitative data has been collected through focus groups (FGs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) (semi-structured interviews).
It was found that there were inequalities in terms of gender, marital status, geographical area, economic status, and sexual orientation. It was most acceptable for married women to seek SRH services, have the most knowledge, and freely exercise their SRHR. Unmarried young males were the ones that were unsure how to access services and seek their knowledge online using the internet, leading to misinformation and concepts. Most of the participants have a negative perception of SRH public services, some of them don’t even consider using them and go directly to private services. Most reported experiences in the public sector are very negative. The internet is an important source of information for young people, but they know that this source is not reliable. Health professionals are not considered by most of the young people as a primary trusted source of information. The main sources of information on SRH identified in the study are family, friends, and peers.
The study showed obstacles embedding access to SRHR for young people like weak access to information about available services, lack of confidentiality, geographical and financial obstacle, social norms, and power dynamics between genders. Discriminatory laws and violence, and disabilities non-adapted services are factors reinforcing inequalities in accessing SRH services especially for vulnerable YP.
YP consider that the responsibility of the government is to provide sex education, protection for vulnerable YP, training for health professionals, information on SRH available services and inclusive service packages. Some of them have completely lost faith in the government and have no expectations.
YP perceive NGOs as offering most of SRH services addressing their needs. They consider that the role of NGOs is mostly informing young people about SRH issues and orientating them to other services when needed, while also defending their rights.
While SRHR components are considered a very sensitive topic in the MENA region, YP are challenging to safely access quality SRHS services and information. They also lack the power to take collective action and fight for greater freedom of choice and respect for their SRHR. Hence, the Masarouna program is designed to mobilize YP’s power in order to promote their access to SRHR in an inclusive society where YP’s voices are listened to.
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This report is part of the bigger Masarouna project, which is a multidimensional study that focus... more This report is part of the bigger Masarouna project, which is a multidimensional study that focuses on the youth’s (18-35) access and connection to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Arab Region.
This research is on Egypt with a qualitative focus on stakeholders’ and experts’ perception and the youth’s experiences with SRHR services and knowledge sources. The purpose of this report is to highlight the inequalities that are rooted in structural violence and cultural limitations and how they are lived by young people.
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Promoting Intersectional Development Research Case study report | Number 2 , 2023
This case study provides an in-depth examination of the intersectionality concept and framework i... more This case study provides an in-depth examination of the intersectionality concept and framework in the context of understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence (GBV) among Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. It documents lessons from incorporating an intersectional lens in a project titled “Reproductive Rights in Times of Conflict” that centres the voices and experiences of Syrian refugee women, amplifying their narratives within the complex tapestry of SRHR and GBV in conflict and displacement settings.
Keywords
Syrian refugee women; refugee health; displacement; intersectionality; sexual and reproductive health rights;
gender-based violence
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This paper is part of my bigger research, which focuses on people’s motivations in choosing diffe... more This paper is part of my bigger research, which focuses on people’s motivations in choosing different kinds of alternative healing practices/practitioners in relation to affliction. However, in this paper I will focus on the prices of services provided by spiritual healers and fortune tellers, the meaning behind them, and what that says about the value of the services provided/sought. These services are tasseography, tarot reading, and energy/crystal healing. Questions of whether the services ‘work’ or not are important, however my bigger focus is on the reason(s) practitioners provide these services, their perception of themselves, and their seekers’/clients’ perception of them. In this paper, I analyze two aspects 1) the value practitioners have for their services, 2) the belief of the clients in the services they’re seeking. In order to analyze these two aspects, I conducted both a cyberethnography and ethnographic fieldwork in order to try to answer the question of how the monetary value of the services is determined? and what does this say about how much do spiritual healers and those healed value these services? Although some of the practitioners have fixed prices, the majority have unfixed prices. This idea of unfixed prices also says a lot about the nature of the business and services/promises they give. For example, sometimes the prices of fortune tellers’ readings’ sessions are fixed and correlated to the duration of the session, they have a pricelist, in other times, the prices of spiritual healers’ services are unfixed and depend on relational and circumstantial aspects. Moreover, the economic part of this project first started with a focus on the illegality of the healers’ businesses in the eyes of the authority, but after conducting the research I came to understand that the practitioners take different procedures in order to play the system and carry on their practices, which will be discussed in depth.
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Teaching Documents by Sohayla El Fakahany
Spirituality and the Unseen: Making the Personal Academic
Course Description:
Anthropology is th... more Spirituality and the Unseen: Making the Personal Academic
Course Description:
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the study of anthropology in a practical hands-on manner. It’s all about “making the strange familiar and the familiar strange”. The participants will be encouraged to engage in discussions about anthropology as a field, otherness, rapport, access, among other important facets of conducting social qualitative research. They will also be engaging practically with writing fieldnotes, conducting participant observation and interviews, and editing their work to come up with a mini ethnography. This all will be covered with the theme: Spirituality and the Unseen by investigating rituals, activities, and experiences that are considered spiritual.
Course Objectives
Some of the questions we’re going to cover in this course are:
- What is anthropology as a field and mode of knowledge and practice.
- How to read and analyze ethnographies.
- How to conduct ethnographic fieldwork on spirituality. (Participant observation and fieldnotes)
- How to conduct semi-structured interviews.
- How to make the personal academic/professional. (Auto-ethnography on spiritual experiences)
- How do we use our ethnographic eye to try and understand our everyday lives?
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“In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are
wounds to heal. In every... more “In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are
wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” - Marianne Williamson
This course introduces students to the field of medical anthropology, exploring its historical and contemporary approaches. Students will gain an understanding of the social and cultural determinants of health and illness, and how to conduct person-centered social research. The course will also cover the basics of writing academic articles and reports.
Some of the specific topics that will be covered include:
• What is medical anthropology and what is its approach?
• What is medical anthropology and what is its contemporary approach?
• How can we understand the social and cultural determinants of health and illness?
• What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods?
• What are the frameworks and the tools used to conduct person-centered social research?
• How to balance between voices from the field and theory?
• What is the role of humanitarian aid in today’s world?
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Course Description
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen,... more Course Description
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen, record in astonishment, and wonder that which one would not have been able to guess.” – Margaret Mead
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the concepts of religion and spirituality with an anthropological, historical, social, and cultural lens that focuses on rituals and healing. Our question does not focus on the synopsis of different religions in the world, it is rather an exploration and investigation of the history of religio-spiritual practices. This includes rituals, magic and witchcraft, myth, and the history of religion and spiritual healing. Our aim is to investigate how all of these concepts are created and recreated to form the spiritual beliefs and practices that are popular today.
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Course Description:
Egypt is a place where traditional spiritual healing methods that include ‘su... more Course Description:
Egypt is a place where traditional spiritual healing methods that include ‘superstitious’ beliefs and rituals are still popular, in recent years new modalities like energy healing have also become popular and available. However, it’s very common for spiritual and other healing practitioners to be cast as ignorant and the practices as fraudulent. Despite this, today it is common that people are religiously observant, think of themselves as modern and cosmopolitan, and still practice yoga, have tarot readings and seek the help of a crystal healer. In that sense, there’s an extent of hybridization between what is believed to be the mystical and the modern when it comes to spiritual healing in contemporary Egypt. It can be said that this seeming contradiction has come about as a result of the enlightenment project, which had sought to put humans as masters of the world. It was perceived as an act of rationalist liberation that would help them reach the progress and improve their conditions. The rise of the nation-state led to the colonialization of not only policies and laws, but also the bodies and ideas of the colonized communities. Consequently, the enlightenment project resulted in the disenchantment of knowledge and the world became, and still is, a place where myths are viewed as the opposite of modernity
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Books by Sohayla El Fakahany
IDRC, 2023
This qualitative and exploratory research delves into the experiences of Syrian refugee women in ... more This qualitative and exploratory research delves into the experiences of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon, shedding light on their access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and the prevalence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Utilizing a feminist intersectional participatory approach and Heise's ecological theoretical framework, the study aims to comprehensively understand the multifaceted challenges faced by these women at various societal levels. The research was conducted in four distinct regions of Lebanon: Beirut, Bekaa, North, and South. A total of 109 Syrian refugee women participated, their demographic characteristics revealing underlying socio-economic hardships and limited agency, particularly concerning bodily autonomy. Marriage rates were high, and the majority had large families, often experiencing domestic violence as a result of gender norms deeply entrenched in their culture. The study reveals that GBV against Syrian refugee women is not confined to domestic settings but permeates into their daily lives on the streets and in their interactions with healthcare providers. Fear of sexual harassment outside their homes further restricts their mobility and autonomy. Agency, the sense of control over decisions and actions, is drastically curtailed for these women from a young age, manifesting in forced marriages and early pregnancies. The lack of bodily autonomy, a fundamental right, compounds their vulnerability to violence and discrimination. Reproductive choices are frequently dictated by cultural and religious norms, leaving them with little control over family planning, often leading to unintended pregnancies. Infertility is blamed on women, further subjecting them to scrutiny and pressure to conceive male children. The decision to use contraceptives rests primarily with their husbands, and women may face opposition and even violence if they attempt to exercise control over their reproductive health. Access to healthcare services is an arduous journey for Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. Long waiting times, financial constraints, and fear of using public transportation hinder timely access to healthcare. Discriminatory and disrespectful treatment by healthcare providers is a common complaint, and some women even receive inadequate care. Pregnant women may face barriers in receiving regular check-ups, and mistreatment during childbirth is reported. Scarce resources at primary healthcare centers often force them to seek medical assistance from community pharmacies, where they may receive free medication.
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Thesis Chapters by Sohayla El Fakahany
In this chapter, I outline how Egyptians, who seek those types of services, perceive the different modalities and their abundance and make meanings of their decisions, which helps introduce a classical sociological debate that critiques the availability and abundance of spiritual services. I then juxtapose these ideas, such as the spiritual supermarket, against their critics who support the accessibility of such services and view them as having a positive impact on the greater good. I position myself with the critics of the spiritual supermarket by showing how credentialism and commodification, although available, are hard work. I do this by using my interlocutors' voices of spiritual and energy workers and facilitators and my own experiences. These experiences underline another layer of my critique to the critique of availability and accessibility, where I argue that New Age thinkers tend to over-ritualize these practices conceptually to question ritual efficacy even if individuals do not relate to these modalities as rituals. This also resonates with collective and individualistic performances of spirituality where different people from different cultures carry out similar activities and buy products that reflect certain beliefs and affiliations. I end this chapter by arguing that instead of using Marxist and modernist ideological explanations, it is more holistic and encompassing that theorists analyze the discursive nuances, and the meanings people hold, in the Foucauldian sense, when researching spirituality and how it relates to economics, careerism, commodification, and capitalism.
With this being one of religion’s definitions, it differentiates it from spirituality because being spiritual does not result in social control, and it also does not depend on a system of reward and punishment. Additionally, its practices are not strictly sanctioned or regularized. One can be not religious but has a strong sense of spirituality, a strong sense of connection to the world. Similar to religion, spirituality has always been connected with rituals and healing.
There has been a revival to spiritual and alternative healing in this current moment. “The word ‘spiritual’ originates from the Latin word ‘spiritus’ meaning ‘breath of life.’ The spiritual aspect refers to spiritual energy working at a deep level on our spiritual being. The healing involves the transfer of energy; in other words, it is not from the healer him or herself, but the healer links with ‘Universal’ or Divine energy to channel healing for the mind, body and spirit” (Mason, 2010). Spiritual healing is an example of alternative or complementary medicine/techniques. This mode of healing is traditional and rooted in ancient times, and with the renaissance and the exclusivity of scientific modes of knowledge production and consumption, it was left almost neglected and, in some places, deemed ignorant, backward, and frowned upon. That being said, there has been a rise in these services' supply and demand during the 21st century. These modalities have been modernized and hybridized to cater to 21st century humans and their needs and expectations.
subconscious level (Ibid). When people visit a museum, they are conscious and aware that the curators of this museum deliberately organized the space to make them have a specific experience with a particular flow. In healing spaces, owners usually have a vision that seeks to give the visitor a sense of numinosity, safety, and comfort. Understanding healing as an experience from the perspective of the healees in relation to the aspects that create this experience is crucial in understanding the healing process itself. Hence, in this chapter, I introduce my several sites using the curation and attention, or lack thereof, to aesthetic details that evoke certain emotions and affective experiences for their clients and visitors. I begin this chapter with a focus on the space and time of the healing experiences of those healed and the
creation and curation of healing spaces and then move to introduce aesthetic aspects of distant healing, foreknowledge services and applications, and advertisements that take place online.
In this research, I explore people’s motivations in choosing or refraining from seeking different kinds of alternative modalities in relation to affliction and healing. The purpose of this project is to answer the question, what factors affect people’s decision of seeking or refraining from pursuing spiritual and alternative practices in contemporary Cairo? Combining preexisting debates and theories with three years of fieldwork and online and on the ground ethnographic research, I aim to delve deeper into the reasons and meanings behind people’s choices. These preexisting debates include notions of modernity, mysticism, commodification, careerism, ritual efficacy, performance, governmentality, biopolitics, state-society relations, interpellation, and cultural appropriation. The limitations of these notions and the alike critiques by New Age thinkers are that they do not consider the positive impact these practices might have on people’s wellbeing, discursive formations, and the creation of meaning. I answer the question and analyze these critiques using a multi-sited interpretive reflexive ethnography that was conducted by carrying out participant observation in five wellness places, two from-home practitioners, and five online applications. The interlocutors and interviewees are spiritual healing practitioners and wellness places’ owners. In Egypt, there is a widespread lack of social acceptance that is rooted in financial, religious, and scientific preferences. Locally, this lack of acceptance is also supported by the government, which exerts effort to cancel the existence of unorthodox practices. Globally, there is also a lack of acceptance that is rooted in not only economic and scientific reasons, but also cultural ones such as cultural and spiritual appropriation. This piece advocates for having a more holistic approach to wellbeing in conversations about affliction and healing.
Papers by Sohayla El Fakahany
This comprehensive review article delves into the intricate landscape of sexual health and reproductive rights among women refugees. It explores the multifaceted challenges women encounter in safeguarding their sexual and reproductive well-being with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. It also includes findings and themes found in research conducted in the past five years.
Recent Findings
Recent findings underscore the myriad challenges faced by refugee women concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights. Findings show that the refugee status exacerbates socioeconomic disparities, nationality discrimination, and gender inequality. Furthermore, the results show that women refugees at large and Syrian refugee women in specific experience limited access to healthcare services, alongside issues related to agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy.
Summary
This review delves into the sexual health and reproductive rights of women refugees and emphasizes their significance. It explores the challenges faced in these domains, including discrimination and socioeconomic disparities. It also addresses broader issues such as limited healthcare access, agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy. By extrapolating insights relevant to female refugees globally, the review emphasizes the crucial need for tailored interventions and the amplification of refugee women's voices in research and policy-making processes.
Drawing from Asef Bayat’s concept of social non-movements, this research analyzes SRHR in repressive and conservative settings within the Arab region. The methodology employed includes a digital ethnography on SRHR-related online platforms and an online anonymous survey with young Arab individuals. Through the analysis, it becomes evident that online mobilization efforts may be framed as social non-movements and the role of such digital platforms is imperative to the improvement of youth’s SRHR.
Recommendations for improvement include prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education through reformation of curricula, normalizing SRHR and engaging communities in locally and culturally sensitive discourses, disseminating SRHR through media and outreach programs, enhancing accessibility and support, creating more cohesive networks of support and knowledge, and promoting trusted SRHR services and platforms. The coupling between the online space, which has proven to fill in gaps that exist socially, with the formal healthcare system is bound to produce strides in the advocacy for gender equality and equitable access to healthcare in the region.
This research is a field study, that aims to map and capture multidimensional inequalities in six targeted countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia) and provide knowledge on the current inequalities hindering the full realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) with a focus on the perspective of the study target of young population aged 18- 35 years. This research also aims at generating knowledge that contributes to support project interventions in the MENA region, and to attempt to answer questions related to the following two main themes:
1. Progress in claiming SRHR in targeted country: To what extent have the young people achieved freedom to enjoy their SRHR in the targeted country? How are international set of SRHR exercised? How SRHR fulfilment intersects with gender, class, economic ecosystem, race, age, geography, social norms, and attitudes?
2. Social Inclusiveness in targeted country: How inclusive and equal a given community or society is (it can be more than one) in the targeted country from the perspective of the young people? What is the configuration of socioeconomic factors, social spending and access to health and education, legal frameworks, cultural norms, and social attitudes, and how are they manifested in the current inequalities in the targeted country?
The main themes were researched using qualitative methodology. Data were gathered to understand key drivers to inequalities and the power dynamics and factors impeding the full realization of SRHR. Qualitative data has been collected through focus groups (FGs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) (semi-structured interviews).
It was found that there were inequalities in terms of gender, marital status, geographical area, economic status, and sexual orientation. It was most acceptable for married women to seek SRH services, have the most knowledge, and freely exercise their SRHR. Unmarried young males were the ones that were unsure how to access services and seek their knowledge online using the internet, leading to misinformation and concepts. Most of the participants have a negative perception of SRH public services, some of them don’t even consider using them and go directly to private services. Most reported experiences in the public sector are very negative. The internet is an important source of information for young people, but they know that this source is not reliable. Health professionals are not considered by most of the young people as a primary trusted source of information. The main sources of information on SRH identified in the study are family, friends, and peers.
The study showed obstacles embedding access to SRHR for young people like weak access to information about available services, lack of confidentiality, geographical and financial obstacle, social norms, and power dynamics between genders. Discriminatory laws and violence, and disabilities non-adapted services are factors reinforcing inequalities in accessing SRH services especially for vulnerable YP.
YP consider that the responsibility of the government is to provide sex education, protection for vulnerable YP, training for health professionals, information on SRH available services and inclusive service packages. Some of them have completely lost faith in the government and have no expectations.
YP perceive NGOs as offering most of SRH services addressing their needs. They consider that the role of NGOs is mostly informing young people about SRH issues and orientating them to other services when needed, while also defending their rights.
While SRHR components are considered a very sensitive topic in the MENA region, YP are challenging to safely access quality SRHS services and information. They also lack the power to take collective action and fight for greater freedom of choice and respect for their SRHR. Hence, the Masarouna program is designed to mobilize YP’s power in order to promote their access to SRHR in an inclusive society where YP’s voices are listened to.
This research is on Egypt with a qualitative focus on stakeholders’ and experts’ perception and the youth’s experiences with SRHR services and knowledge sources. The purpose of this report is to highlight the inequalities that are rooted in structural violence and cultural limitations and how they are lived by young people.
Keywords
Syrian refugee women; refugee health; displacement; intersectionality; sexual and reproductive health rights;
gender-based violence
Teaching Documents by Sohayla El Fakahany
Course Description:
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the study of anthropology in a practical hands-on manner. It’s all about “making the strange familiar and the familiar strange”. The participants will be encouraged to engage in discussions about anthropology as a field, otherness, rapport, access, among other important facets of conducting social qualitative research. They will also be engaging practically with writing fieldnotes, conducting participant observation and interviews, and editing their work to come up with a mini ethnography. This all will be covered with the theme: Spirituality and the Unseen by investigating rituals, activities, and experiences that are considered spiritual.
Course Objectives
Some of the questions we’re going to cover in this course are:
- What is anthropology as a field and mode of knowledge and practice.
- How to read and analyze ethnographies.
- How to conduct ethnographic fieldwork on spirituality. (Participant observation and fieldnotes)
- How to conduct semi-structured interviews.
- How to make the personal academic/professional. (Auto-ethnography on spiritual experiences)
- How do we use our ethnographic eye to try and understand our everyday lives?
wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” - Marianne Williamson
This course introduces students to the field of medical anthropology, exploring its historical and contemporary approaches. Students will gain an understanding of the social and cultural determinants of health and illness, and how to conduct person-centered social research. The course will also cover the basics of writing academic articles and reports.
Some of the specific topics that will be covered include:
• What is medical anthropology and what is its approach?
• What is medical anthropology and what is its contemporary approach?
• How can we understand the social and cultural determinants of health and illness?
• What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods?
• What are the frameworks and the tools used to conduct person-centered social research?
• How to balance between voices from the field and theory?
• What is the role of humanitarian aid in today’s world?
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen, record in astonishment, and wonder that which one would not have been able to guess.” – Margaret Mead
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the concepts of religion and spirituality with an anthropological, historical, social, and cultural lens that focuses on rituals and healing. Our question does not focus on the synopsis of different religions in the world, it is rather an exploration and investigation of the history of religio-spiritual practices. This includes rituals, magic and witchcraft, myth, and the history of religion and spiritual healing. Our aim is to investigate how all of these concepts are created and recreated to form the spiritual beliefs and practices that are popular today.
Egypt is a place where traditional spiritual healing methods that include ‘superstitious’ beliefs and rituals are still popular, in recent years new modalities like energy healing have also become popular and available. However, it’s very common for spiritual and other healing practitioners to be cast as ignorant and the practices as fraudulent. Despite this, today it is common that people are religiously observant, think of themselves as modern and cosmopolitan, and still practice yoga, have tarot readings and seek the help of a crystal healer. In that sense, there’s an extent of hybridization between what is believed to be the mystical and the modern when it comes to spiritual healing in contemporary Egypt. It can be said that this seeming contradiction has come about as a result of the enlightenment project, which had sought to put humans as masters of the world. It was perceived as an act of rationalist liberation that would help them reach the progress and improve their conditions. The rise of the nation-state led to the colonialization of not only policies and laws, but also the bodies and ideas of the colonized communities. Consequently, the enlightenment project resulted in the disenchantment of knowledge and the world became, and still is, a place where myths are viewed as the opposite of modernity
Books by Sohayla El Fakahany
In this chapter, I outline how Egyptians, who seek those types of services, perceive the different modalities and their abundance and make meanings of their decisions, which helps introduce a classical sociological debate that critiques the availability and abundance of spiritual services. I then juxtapose these ideas, such as the spiritual supermarket, against their critics who support the accessibility of such services and view them as having a positive impact on the greater good. I position myself with the critics of the spiritual supermarket by showing how credentialism and commodification, although available, are hard work. I do this by using my interlocutors' voices of spiritual and energy workers and facilitators and my own experiences. These experiences underline another layer of my critique to the critique of availability and accessibility, where I argue that New Age thinkers tend to over-ritualize these practices conceptually to question ritual efficacy even if individuals do not relate to these modalities as rituals. This also resonates with collective and individualistic performances of spirituality where different people from different cultures carry out similar activities and buy products that reflect certain beliefs and affiliations. I end this chapter by arguing that instead of using Marxist and modernist ideological explanations, it is more holistic and encompassing that theorists analyze the discursive nuances, and the meanings people hold, in the Foucauldian sense, when researching spirituality and how it relates to economics, careerism, commodification, and capitalism.
With this being one of religion’s definitions, it differentiates it from spirituality because being spiritual does not result in social control, and it also does not depend on a system of reward and punishment. Additionally, its practices are not strictly sanctioned or regularized. One can be not religious but has a strong sense of spirituality, a strong sense of connection to the world. Similar to religion, spirituality has always been connected with rituals and healing.
There has been a revival to spiritual and alternative healing in this current moment. “The word ‘spiritual’ originates from the Latin word ‘spiritus’ meaning ‘breath of life.’ The spiritual aspect refers to spiritual energy working at a deep level on our spiritual being. The healing involves the transfer of energy; in other words, it is not from the healer him or herself, but the healer links with ‘Universal’ or Divine energy to channel healing for the mind, body and spirit” (Mason, 2010). Spiritual healing is an example of alternative or complementary medicine/techniques. This mode of healing is traditional and rooted in ancient times, and with the renaissance and the exclusivity of scientific modes of knowledge production and consumption, it was left almost neglected and, in some places, deemed ignorant, backward, and frowned upon. That being said, there has been a rise in these services' supply and demand during the 21st century. These modalities have been modernized and hybridized to cater to 21st century humans and their needs and expectations.
subconscious level (Ibid). When people visit a museum, they are conscious and aware that the curators of this museum deliberately organized the space to make them have a specific experience with a particular flow. In healing spaces, owners usually have a vision that seeks to give the visitor a sense of numinosity, safety, and comfort. Understanding healing as an experience from the perspective of the healees in relation to the aspects that create this experience is crucial in understanding the healing process itself. Hence, in this chapter, I introduce my several sites using the curation and attention, or lack thereof, to aesthetic details that evoke certain emotions and affective experiences for their clients and visitors. I begin this chapter with a focus on the space and time of the healing experiences of those healed and the
creation and curation of healing spaces and then move to introduce aesthetic aspects of distant healing, foreknowledge services and applications, and advertisements that take place online.
In this research, I explore people’s motivations in choosing or refraining from seeking different kinds of alternative modalities in relation to affliction and healing. The purpose of this project is to answer the question, what factors affect people’s decision of seeking or refraining from pursuing spiritual and alternative practices in contemporary Cairo? Combining preexisting debates and theories with three years of fieldwork and online and on the ground ethnographic research, I aim to delve deeper into the reasons and meanings behind people’s choices. These preexisting debates include notions of modernity, mysticism, commodification, careerism, ritual efficacy, performance, governmentality, biopolitics, state-society relations, interpellation, and cultural appropriation. The limitations of these notions and the alike critiques by New Age thinkers are that they do not consider the positive impact these practices might have on people’s wellbeing, discursive formations, and the creation of meaning. I answer the question and analyze these critiques using a multi-sited interpretive reflexive ethnography that was conducted by carrying out participant observation in five wellness places, two from-home practitioners, and five online applications. The interlocutors and interviewees are spiritual healing practitioners and wellness places’ owners. In Egypt, there is a widespread lack of social acceptance that is rooted in financial, religious, and scientific preferences. Locally, this lack of acceptance is also supported by the government, which exerts effort to cancel the existence of unorthodox practices. Globally, there is also a lack of acceptance that is rooted in not only economic and scientific reasons, but also cultural ones such as cultural and spiritual appropriation. This piece advocates for having a more holistic approach to wellbeing in conversations about affliction and healing.
This comprehensive review article delves into the intricate landscape of sexual health and reproductive rights among women refugees. It explores the multifaceted challenges women encounter in safeguarding their sexual and reproductive well-being with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon. It also includes findings and themes found in research conducted in the past five years.
Recent Findings
Recent findings underscore the myriad challenges faced by refugee women concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights. Findings show that the refugee status exacerbates socioeconomic disparities, nationality discrimination, and gender inequality. Furthermore, the results show that women refugees at large and Syrian refugee women in specific experience limited access to healthcare services, alongside issues related to agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy.
Summary
This review delves into the sexual health and reproductive rights of women refugees and emphasizes their significance. It explores the challenges faced in these domains, including discrimination and socioeconomic disparities. It also addresses broader issues such as limited healthcare access, agency, gender-based violence, and bodily autonomy. By extrapolating insights relevant to female refugees globally, the review emphasizes the crucial need for tailored interventions and the amplification of refugee women's voices in research and policy-making processes.
Drawing from Asef Bayat’s concept of social non-movements, this research analyzes SRHR in repressive and conservative settings within the Arab region. The methodology employed includes a digital ethnography on SRHR-related online platforms and an online anonymous survey with young Arab individuals. Through the analysis, it becomes evident that online mobilization efforts may be framed as social non-movements and the role of such digital platforms is imperative to the improvement of youth’s SRHR.
Recommendations for improvement include prioritizing comprehensive sexuality education through reformation of curricula, normalizing SRHR and engaging communities in locally and culturally sensitive discourses, disseminating SRHR through media and outreach programs, enhancing accessibility and support, creating more cohesive networks of support and knowledge, and promoting trusted SRHR services and platforms. The coupling between the online space, which has proven to fill in gaps that exist socially, with the formal healthcare system is bound to produce strides in the advocacy for gender equality and equitable access to healthcare in the region.
This research is a field study, that aims to map and capture multidimensional inequalities in six targeted countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia) and provide knowledge on the current inequalities hindering the full realization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) with a focus on the perspective of the study target of young population aged 18- 35 years. This research also aims at generating knowledge that contributes to support project interventions in the MENA region, and to attempt to answer questions related to the following two main themes:
1. Progress in claiming SRHR in targeted country: To what extent have the young people achieved freedom to enjoy their SRHR in the targeted country? How are international set of SRHR exercised? How SRHR fulfilment intersects with gender, class, economic ecosystem, race, age, geography, social norms, and attitudes?
2. Social Inclusiveness in targeted country: How inclusive and equal a given community or society is (it can be more than one) in the targeted country from the perspective of the young people? What is the configuration of socioeconomic factors, social spending and access to health and education, legal frameworks, cultural norms, and social attitudes, and how are they manifested in the current inequalities in the targeted country?
The main themes were researched using qualitative methodology. Data were gathered to understand key drivers to inequalities and the power dynamics and factors impeding the full realization of SRHR. Qualitative data has been collected through focus groups (FGs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) (semi-structured interviews).
It was found that there were inequalities in terms of gender, marital status, geographical area, economic status, and sexual orientation. It was most acceptable for married women to seek SRH services, have the most knowledge, and freely exercise their SRHR. Unmarried young males were the ones that were unsure how to access services and seek their knowledge online using the internet, leading to misinformation and concepts. Most of the participants have a negative perception of SRH public services, some of them don’t even consider using them and go directly to private services. Most reported experiences in the public sector are very negative. The internet is an important source of information for young people, but they know that this source is not reliable. Health professionals are not considered by most of the young people as a primary trusted source of information. The main sources of information on SRH identified in the study are family, friends, and peers.
The study showed obstacles embedding access to SRHR for young people like weak access to information about available services, lack of confidentiality, geographical and financial obstacle, social norms, and power dynamics between genders. Discriminatory laws and violence, and disabilities non-adapted services are factors reinforcing inequalities in accessing SRH services especially for vulnerable YP.
YP consider that the responsibility of the government is to provide sex education, protection for vulnerable YP, training for health professionals, information on SRH available services and inclusive service packages. Some of them have completely lost faith in the government and have no expectations.
YP perceive NGOs as offering most of SRH services addressing their needs. They consider that the role of NGOs is mostly informing young people about SRH issues and orientating them to other services when needed, while also defending their rights.
While SRHR components are considered a very sensitive topic in the MENA region, YP are challenging to safely access quality SRHS services and information. They also lack the power to take collective action and fight for greater freedom of choice and respect for their SRHR. Hence, the Masarouna program is designed to mobilize YP’s power in order to promote their access to SRHR in an inclusive society where YP’s voices are listened to.
This research is on Egypt with a qualitative focus on stakeholders’ and experts’ perception and the youth’s experiences with SRHR services and knowledge sources. The purpose of this report is to highlight the inequalities that are rooted in structural violence and cultural limitations and how they are lived by young people.
Keywords
Syrian refugee women; refugee health; displacement; intersectionality; sexual and reproductive health rights;
gender-based violence
Course Description:
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the study of anthropology in a practical hands-on manner. It’s all about “making the strange familiar and the familiar strange”. The participants will be encouraged to engage in discussions about anthropology as a field, otherness, rapport, access, among other important facets of conducting social qualitative research. They will also be engaging practically with writing fieldnotes, conducting participant observation and interviews, and editing their work to come up with a mini ethnography. This all will be covered with the theme: Spirituality and the Unseen by investigating rituals, activities, and experiences that are considered spiritual.
Course Objectives
Some of the questions we’re going to cover in this course are:
- What is anthropology as a field and mode of knowledge and practice.
- How to read and analyze ethnographies.
- How to conduct ethnographic fieldwork on spirituality. (Participant observation and fieldnotes)
- How to conduct semi-structured interviews.
- How to make the personal academic/professional. (Auto-ethnography on spiritual experiences)
- How do we use our ethnographic eye to try and understand our everyday lives?
wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” - Marianne Williamson
This course introduces students to the field of medical anthropology, exploring its historical and contemporary approaches. Students will gain an understanding of the social and cultural determinants of health and illness, and how to conduct person-centered social research. The course will also cover the basics of writing academic articles and reports.
Some of the specific topics that will be covered include:
• What is medical anthropology and what is its approach?
• What is medical anthropology and what is its contemporary approach?
• How can we understand the social and cultural determinants of health and illness?
• What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods?
• What are the frameworks and the tools used to conduct person-centered social research?
• How to balance between voices from the field and theory?
• What is the role of humanitarian aid in today’s world?
“Anthropology demands the open-mindedness with which one must look and listen, record in astonishment, and wonder that which one would not have been able to guess.” – Margaret Mead
Anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and the human condition. This course introduces the concepts of religion and spirituality with an anthropological, historical, social, and cultural lens that focuses on rituals and healing. Our question does not focus on the synopsis of different religions in the world, it is rather an exploration and investigation of the history of religio-spiritual practices. This includes rituals, magic and witchcraft, myth, and the history of religion and spiritual healing. Our aim is to investigate how all of these concepts are created and recreated to form the spiritual beliefs and practices that are popular today.
Egypt is a place where traditional spiritual healing methods that include ‘superstitious’ beliefs and rituals are still popular, in recent years new modalities like energy healing have also become popular and available. However, it’s very common for spiritual and other healing practitioners to be cast as ignorant and the practices as fraudulent. Despite this, today it is common that people are religiously observant, think of themselves as modern and cosmopolitan, and still practice yoga, have tarot readings and seek the help of a crystal healer. In that sense, there’s an extent of hybridization between what is believed to be the mystical and the modern when it comes to spiritual healing in contemporary Egypt. It can be said that this seeming contradiction has come about as a result of the enlightenment project, which had sought to put humans as masters of the world. It was perceived as an act of rationalist liberation that would help them reach the progress and improve their conditions. The rise of the nation-state led to the colonialization of not only policies and laws, but also the bodies and ideas of the colonized communities. Consequently, the enlightenment project resulted in the disenchantment of knowledge and the world became, and still is, a place where myths are viewed as the opposite of modernity