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Therapeutic landscapes and postcolonial theory: A theoretical approach to medical tourism

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  • Buzinde, Christine N.
  • Yarnal, Careen

Abstract

This paper draws on two conceptual frameworks, therapeutic landscapes and postcolonial theory, to discuss aspects of medical tourism not addressed in extant literature. Building on the intersection between postcolonial and therapeutic landscapes scholarship, it highlights inequalities related to the production of national therapeutic landscapes located in postcolonial regions as well as their discursive (re)positioning as medical tourism destinations. As a framework, therapeutic landscapes can facilitate an understanding of medical tourism sites as curative spaces which combine modern and alternative forms of medicine with travel and leisure. Postcolonial theory critiques the economic, moral and cultural tensions emerging from the intersection between corporations that provide cheaper and more attractive medical services, and the nations on the periphery struggling to offer high medical standards that may not be accessible to their own local populations. In an effort to enhance scholarship on medical tourism, these conceptual frameworks are offered as points of departure, rather than sites of arrival, through which critical dialog on medical tourism can be sustained and broadened.

Suggested Citation

  • Buzinde, Christine N. & Yarnal, Careen, 2012. "Therapeutic landscapes and postcolonial theory: A theoretical approach to medical tourism," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(5), pages 783-787.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:74:y:2012:i:5:p:783-787
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Finlay, Jessica M., 2018. "‘Walk like a penguin’: Older Minnesotans' experiences of (non)therapeutic white space," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 77-84.
    9. Salman Majeed & Changbao Lu & Mahwash Majeed & Muahmmad Naeem Shahid, 2018. "Health Resorts and Multi-Textured Perceptions of International Health Tourists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-26, April.
    10. Volgger, Michael & Mainil, Tomas & Pechlaner, Harald & Mitas, Ondrej, 2015. "Health region development from the perspective of system theory – An empirical cross-regional case study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 321-330.
    11. Zhang, Qingfang & Zhang, Hui & Xu, Honggang, 2021. "Health tourism destinations as therapeutic landscapes: Understanding the health perceptions of senior seasonal migrants," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    12. Khoa Nguyen Duc & Nhu Y Dang Thi, 2020. "Economic Motives and Problems of Health Tourism in Asia Pacific," Czech Journal of Tourism, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 22-40, December.
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