The Future of Tradition: An Ethnographic and Comparative Study of Social Preference and Medicine in Rural Ghana

Authors

Shannon Dick, SIT Study AbroadFollow

Home Institution

Seattle University

Publication Date

Fall 2010

Program Name

Ghana: Origins of African Identity

Abstract

In Ghana, there are currently two prevalent forms of medical treatment: traditional and Western medicine. Since Ghana was colonized by the British, Western medicine has spread throughout the country, essentially from south to north. In this ethnographic study, two rural villages are compared, one located in the Central Region and the other in the Upper West Region, in order to evaluate what type of medical treatment people prefer and the reasons for their decisions. The research assesses the social inclination in terms of medicine in these two locations, indicators of Western influences, and gleans a sense of what the future of traditional medicine may be in Ghana.

Disciplines

African Studies | Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Recommended Citation

Dick, Shannon, "The Future of Tradition: An Ethnographic and Comparative Study of Social Preference and Medicine in Rural Ghana" (2010). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 910.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/910