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On sitting and doing: Ethnography as action in global health

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  • Pigg, Stacy Leigh

Abstract

Contemporary discussions within the arenas of medical anthropology and global health are often restricted by the driving imperatives to “do something” about a particular health problem. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Nepal in 1997, which sought to follow the translation of AIDS prevention policies into local awareness, this paper addresses the need to revitalize theories of ethnography for an understanding of global health goals. The Nepal example underscores how the path toward decisions is never entirely clear, nor is it always obvious who benefits or loses from different approaches, even as public health discourse seeks to set a strict agenda around what the problem is and what should be done about it. Ethnography shows that definitions of what matters as well as understandings of why certain things matter are formulated from specific social locations. The paper therefore advocates for a practice of patient ethnographic “sitting” as a means to understanding, as a form of critical reflexivity, and as a diagnostic of the politics of relevance.

Suggested Citation

  • Pigg, Stacy Leigh, 2013. "On sitting and doing: Ethnography as action in global health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 127-134.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:99:y:2013:i:c:p:127-134
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.07.018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bénédicte Vidaillet & V. d'Estaintot & P. Abécassis, 2005. "Introduction," Post-Print hal-00287137, HAL.
    2. Justice, Judithanne, 1983. "The invisible worker: The role of the peon in Nepal's health service," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 17(14), pages 967-970, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Brunson, Jan, 2020. "Tool of economic development, metric of global health: Promoting planned families and economized life in Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    3. Berry, Nicole S., 2014. "Did we do good? NGOs, conflicts of interest and the evaluation of short-term medical missions in Sololá, Guatemala," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 344-351.
    4. Biswas, Debashish & Hossin, Raduan & Rahman, Mahbubur & Bardosh, Kevin Louis & Watt, Melissa H. & Zion, Mazharul Islam & Sujon, Hasnat & Rashid, Md Mahbubur & Salimuzzaman, M. & Flora, Meerjady S. & Q, 2020. "An ethnographic exploration of diarrheal disease management in public hospitals in Bangladesh: From problems to solutions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    5. Malambo, Nomthandazo, 2021. "“Not from home”: Cancer screening avoidance and the safety of distance in Eswatini," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    6. Simmons, Brianna & Syvertsen, Jennifer L., 2022. "Learning from women who trade sex in Kenya about the antiblackness of Global Health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    7. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.
    8. Dao, Amy, 2020. "What it means to say “I Don't have any money to buy health insurance” in rural Vietnam: How anticipatory activities shape health insurance enrollment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    9. Yates-Doerr, Emily, 2015. "The world in a box? Food security, edible insects, and “One World, One Health” collaboration," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 106-112.
    10. Wilson, Marisa & McLennan, Amy, 2019. "A comparative ethnography of nutrition interventions: Structural violence and the industrialisation of agrifood systems in the Caribbean and the Pacific," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 172-180.
    11. Boeger, Zakea, 2020. "Incorporating mammography into an overseas referral metric: Tongan doctors’ assessments of patient eligibility for medical travel," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    12. Bec, Caroline & Wells, Geoff, 2020. "Structural barriers to health-provider training programmes for ethnic minorities: the case of the Katu and diabetes management in Vietnam," SocArXiv s78xa, Center for Open Science.

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