Norms, Repertoires, & Intersections: Towards an integrated theory of culture for health research and practice. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bennouna, Cyril; Gillespie, Alli; Stark, Lindsay; Seff, Ilana
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 311(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Cultural repertoires -- Social norms -- Displacement -- Humanitarian settings -- Intersectionality -- Haiti -- Nigeria -- Theory; RiH Intersectional Theory of Cultural Repertoires in Health -- SSAGE Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies -- THRIVE Transforming Households: Reducing Incidence of Violence in Emergencies; 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.2022.115351
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: Public health scholars and practitioners have increasingly distanced themselves from the term "culture, " which has been used to essentialize and blame marginalized "others." However, leading health theories inevitably entail the study of culture; omitting the term may sever vital connections to useful social theory. Instead, we propose the Intersectional Theory of Cultural Repertoires in Health (RiH), integrating social norms and intersectionality with repertoire theory, which has been highly influential in cultural sociology. We outline an approach to investigating relationships between cultural resources and health behaviors and illustrate the theory's application with two qualitative case studies. The cases demonstrate how RiH theory can elucidate the roles of cultural resources in influencing health outcomes, such as gender-equitable behavior in Nigeria and coping strategies in Haiti. Building on conventional normative explanations of health, we theorize how schemas, narratives, boundaries, and other cultural resources shape behavior and demonstrate how norms constrain the use of repertoires. We detail how this theory can deepen our understanding of health phenomena and identify future research priorities. Highlights: Norms govern health behaviors via cultural resources rarely acknowledged in health. 'Repertoires in Health' Theory integrates norms, intersectionality, and repertoires. RiH can deepen our grasp of health phenomena and prioritization of future research. RiH reveals processes supporting resilience and behavior change in crisis contexts.