Traditional Medicine and Ethnomedicine World Conference 2026
Speakers - tmewc2026
Simangele Shakwane
Simangele Shakwane
- Designation: UNISA - University of South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Title: Touch, Ritual, and Healing African Ethnomedicine as Advocacy for Personhood
Abstract
African ethnomedicine recognises healing as a holistic process encompassing physical, spiritual, emotional, and social dimensions of human life. In many African communities, Christian ritual practices have become deeply embedded in local healing traditions, shaping responses to illness, suffering, and human vulnerability. This paper explores the role of touch, ritual, and healing in African ethnomedicine as a means of advocating for personhood, particularly for individuals experiencing illness, dependency, or diminished autonomy.
Drawing on concepts of personhood, embodiment, and holistic care, the paper examines how rituals such as prayer, the laying on of hands, anointing, blessing, and other forms of sacred touch contribute to healing beyond biomedical intervention. The notion of the "touched human body" illustrates the intersection of physical care and spiritual meaning, in which ritual touch serves not only therapeutic purposes but also affirms dignity, identity, belonging, and human worth. These practices are viewed as ethnomedical expressions that address the interconnectedness of body, mind, spirit, and community.
Uncovering Ancestral Knowledge, Forging Health in the Future
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