Medical Sociology in Africa

Abstract

Abstract This chapter reviews the growth and concerns of medical sociology on the African continent. To understand the past and ongoing research, it foregrounds the sociological thesis that context matters. Local and global sociopolitical contexts always impact people’s health. After colonial rule, health became a “development” issue because Africa had long been defined by doctors, missionaries, explorers, and anthropologists as the “dark continent,” weighed down by disease. The chapter draws attention to Africa’s historical position being devalued and exploited and to the promising scholarship being done on Indigenous theories and healing systems. Both have a bearing on an emerging feature of research on the continent: the interest in constructing appropriate concepts and analytical frameworks for Africa. The focus is on four broad areas: African contributions to analytical tools in medical sociology, African healing systems, epidemiological studies, and policy and health reforms.