Situated knowledge of pathogenic landscapes in Ghana: Understanding the emergence of Buruli ulcer through qualitative analysis. (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tschakert, Petra; Ricciardi, Vincent; Smithwick, Erica; Machado, Mario; Ferring, David; Hausermann, Heidi; Bug, Leah
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 150(2016)
• Page Start: 160
• Page End: 171
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: Neglected tropical diseases -- Buruli ulcer -- Situated knowledge -- Participatory research -- Pathogenic landscapes -- Gold mining -- Social sciences -- Ghana; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine sociale -- Périodiques; Anthropologie médicale -- Périodiques; Santé publique -- Périodiques; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Médecine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.12.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: Successfully addressing neglected tropical diseases requires nuanced understandings of pathogenic landscapes that incorporate situated, contexualized community knowledge. In the case of Buruli ulcer (BU), the role of social science is vital to investigate complex human–environment interactions and navigate different ways of knowing. We analyze a set of qualitative data from our interdisciplinary project on BU in Ghana, drawing from participatory mapping, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and open-ended survey questions to explore how people in endemic and non-endemic areas see themselves embedded in changing environmental and social landscapes. We pay particular attention to landscape disturbance through logging and small-scale alluvial gold mining. The results from our participatory research underscore the holistic nature of BU emergence in landscapes, encapsulated in partial and incomplete local descriptions, the relevance of collective learning to distill complexity, and the potential of rich qualitative data to inform quantitative landscape-disease models. Highlights: Situated, contextualized knowledge can enrich scientific debates on BU emergence. Participatory research reveals embodied experiences in pathogenic landscapes. Grounded narratives of BU evoke dirty/stagnant water and artisanal gold mining. Qualitative data on local BU experiences can inform quantitative disease modeling.