Wellness Beyond Words

Maya Compositions of Speech and Silence in Medical Care

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Wellness Beyond Words by T.S. Harvey, University of New Mexico Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: T.S. Harvey ISBN: 9780826352750
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press Publication: December 15, 2012
Imprint: University of New Mexico Press Language: English
Author: T.S. Harvey
ISBN: 9780826352750
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Publication: December 15, 2012
Imprint: University of New Mexico Press
Language: English

The delivery of health care can present a minefield of communication problems, particularly in cross-cultural settings where patients and health practitioners come from dissimilar cultures and speak different languages. Responding to the need for in-depth ethnographic studies in cultural and communicative competence, this anthropological account of Maya language use in health care in highland Guatemala explores some of the cultural and linguistic factors that can complicate communication in the practice of medicine. Bringing together the analytical tools of linguistic and medical anthropology, T. S. Harvey offers a rare comparative glimpse into
Maya intra-cultural therapeutic (Maya healer/Maya wellness-seeker) and cross-cultural biomedical (Ladino practitioner/Maya patient) interactions.

In Maya medical encounters, the number of participants, the plurality of their voices, and the cooperative linguistic strategies that they employ to compose illness narratives challenge conventional analytical techniques and call into question some basic assumptions about doctor-patient interactions. Harvey’s innovative approach, combining the “ethnography
of polyphony” and its complementary technique, the “polyphonic score,” reveals the complex interplay of speaking and silence during medical encounters, sociolinguistic patterns that help us avoid clinical complications connected to medical miscommunication.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The delivery of health care can present a minefield of communication problems, particularly in cross-cultural settings where patients and health practitioners come from dissimilar cultures and speak different languages. Responding to the need for in-depth ethnographic studies in cultural and communicative competence, this anthropological account of Maya language use in health care in highland Guatemala explores some of the cultural and linguistic factors that can complicate communication in the practice of medicine. Bringing together the analytical tools of linguistic and medical anthropology, T. S. Harvey offers a rare comparative glimpse into
Maya intra-cultural therapeutic (Maya healer/Maya wellness-seeker) and cross-cultural biomedical (Ladino practitioner/Maya patient) interactions.

In Maya medical encounters, the number of participants, the plurality of their voices, and the cooperative linguistic strategies that they employ to compose illness narratives challenge conventional analytical techniques and call into question some basic assumptions about doctor-patient interactions. Harvey’s innovative approach, combining the “ethnography
of polyphony” and its complementary technique, the “polyphonic score,” reveals the complex interplay of speaking and silence during medical encounters, sociolinguistic patterns that help us avoid clinical complications connected to medical miscommunication.

More books from University of New Mexico Press

Cover of the book Decade of Betrayal by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Polygamy and the Rise and Demise of the Aztec Empire by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Southwest Aquatic Habitats by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book The Journey of Tai-me by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Diseases and Human Evolution by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book A German POW in New Mexico by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Amada's Blessings from the Peyote Gardens of South Texas by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Ch'orti'-Maya Survival in Eastern Guatemala: Indigeneity in Transition by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book No Mere Shadows by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Enchantment and Exploitation by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book City of Stone by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Loose Cannons by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book New Mexico's Quest for Statehood, 1846-1912 by T.S. Harvey
Cover of the book Going Native by T.S. Harvey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy