Gendered injustice: A comparative analysis of witchcraft beliefs and witchcraft-related violence in Ghana and Nepal

Abstract

Witch-hunt is an often overlooked but major social problem in many of the societies in the Global South. Ghana and Nepal represent two such societies where modern-day witch-hunt is frequently reported. This study examines the similarities and differences in witchcraft beliefs and practices in Ghana and Nepal as well as the perpetration of aggressive acts against putative witches in these two societies. Among the issues explored are superstition, witchcraft beliefs, socio-demographic characteristics of victims and perpetrators of witch-hunts, as well as the socio-cultural contexts within which witch-hunts occur.

Barriers to chronic Hepatitis B treatment and care in Ghana: A qualitative study with people with Hepatitis B and healthcare providers

“…Also, in a study with pregnant women in peri-urban Ghana, curses were perceived to be a possible cause of Hepatitis B [24]. These findings are not astounding because, in most Ghanaian societies, diseases with unusual presentations are attributed to evil influences [45–46]. We also identified that the belief PWHB attach to the aetiology of HBV seems to have an influence on the type of treatment they seek.…”

Enacting a depoliticised alterity: law and traditional medicine at the World Health Organization

“…This was due to its (perceived) inherent irrationality and for the political dangers it posed to colonial authority, having formed part of anti-colonial rebellions in places such as Tanzania ( Langwick, 2011 ). Anti-sorcery or anti-witchcraft ordinances were passed in many colonies, although the scope of what and who was liable to be criminalised differed somewhat depending on the jurisdiction in question ( Roberts, 1935 ; Mutungi, 1971 ; Niehaus, 2001 ; Mesaki, 2009 ). As indigenous knowledge and resources were appropriated by colonialists, local plants were dislocated from their broader healing networks and molecularised through the colonial scientific laboratory ( Merson, 2000 ; Osseo-Asare, 2014 ).…”