Alzheimer’s Disease—Molecular Defect, Public Perceptions and Stigma in South Africa

Maduna, Tando; Loos, Ben

doi:10.1007/978-981-16-2546-6_4

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…African culture and traditions also contribute to sensemaking about non-communicable diseases. Obesity is seen as an enviable artefact of wealth (Neema et al, 2021), Alzheimer's is attributed to witchcraft (Maduna and Loos, 2021), while deaths in pregnancy and HIV/AIDS are attributed to the will of God or witchcraft (Aliyu, 2021;Ashforth, 2002). Of note, medical pluralism, or healer shopping, is also common across Africa, as the public searches for cures from traditional healers, churches and hospitals, at times in parallel or in sequence (Falade and Bauer, 2018;Moshabela et al, 2017).…”

Section: African Culture Beliefs and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Where are the graves of coronavirus victims?’ Beliefs, conspiracy theories and representations of COVID-19 in Africa

Falade

2022

Cultures of Science

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The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected everyday life in Africa, a continent that is known for its high levels of religious belief. Using a corpus of news articles and the social representations research paradigm, this study examines African understandings of the pandemic. It uses installation theory, the wind rose model and the accommodation hypothesis to explore the coexistence between science and belief. The accommodation hypothesis demonstrates that the representations were hierarchical, to elevate God above science. Faith leaders also used the pandemic to enhance faith by blaming sin and urging repentance or blaming science by espousing conspiracy theories about the pandemic being a grand design to draw believers away from God. This paper highlights the great disparity in experience between Africa and the West, initially fuelling conspiracy theories. The findings also reinforce two key conceptual approaches: installation theory on the influence of rules imposed by society on behaviour, and the wind rose model in which representations change over time and in response to social interactions.

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Section: African Culture Beliefs and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Where are the graves of coronavirus victims?’ Beliefs, conspiracy theories and representations of COVID-19 in Africa

Falade

2022

Cultures of Science

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SARS-CoV-2 bulldozes the autophagy pathway and unhinges mitochondrial quality control thereby driving neurodegeneration—A hypothesis

van Blerk,

Loos

2024

Features, Transmission, Detection, and Case Studies in COVID-19

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Alzheimer’s Disease—Molecular Defect, Public Perceptions and Stigma in South Africa

Cited by 2 publications

References 86 publications

‘Where are the graves of coronavirus victims?’ Beliefs, conspiracy theories and representations of COVID-19 in Africa

‘Where are the graves of coronavirus victims?’ Beliefs, conspiracy theories and representations of COVID-19 in Africa

SARS-CoV-2 bulldozes the autophagy pathway and unhinges mitochondrial quality control thereby driving neurodegeneration—A hypothesis

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