Cultural Changes and Their Influences on Medical Practices among the Kwahu People of Ghana (c. 1700-2019)

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/1825-263X/4568

Abstract

The cultural values of any group of people correlates with the practice of medicine either in traditional or advanced societies. Using a qualitative research approach, the study accounts for the changes in culture and how it has influenced the medical practice of the Kwahu people of Ghana in particular. Cultural values in the Kwahu vicinity and the world at large has gone through changes over time. In this vein, the practice of medicine which is embedded cultural constructs have experienced some changes since the cultural values of the people have gone through enormous metamorphosis. Although the values of culture -on their own- changes overtime, this paper associate most of the changes with the community’s encounter with the Europeans dominance on the African continent. Factors such as Christianity, formal education, individualism, urbanization and others as discussed in this empirical research, have served as the major drivers of social change; the combination of these social forces have impacted the nature of medical practice among the people of Kwahu. The current study has built on studies like that of Twumasi (1975), Adu Gyamfi (2010; 2015; 2016) and other scholars. The current contribution concludes among other things that the youth are the major exhibitors of social change. Practitioners have therefore seen the need to use up to date technology and skills to meet the changing needs of the changing times and that of the increasing youthful population.

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Author Biographies

Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, Ph.D is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History and Political Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. He is a Senior Editor of Cogent Arts and Humanities Journal (History). His research focus is in Applied History, Asante History, Medicine, Culture, History Education, Health Policy, Social Policy, Social Medicine, Societal Studies and Social Change. Through Applied History, he makes explicit attempt to illuminate current challenges and choices by analysing historical precedents and analogues. He has over seventy publications in peer reviewed journals.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0193-867X

He can be reached at: mcgyyamfi@yahoo.com

Benjamin Dompreh Darkwa, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Benjamin Dompreh Darkwa holds a BA in History and is currently an MPhil History candidate at the Department of History and Political Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana. Benjamin primarily focuses his research on the History of Medicine, Environment and Culture. Specifically, his interest is linked to how the discourses of Medicine, Health and Culture have been shaped throughout History. 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1662-9789

He can be reached at: darkwa687@gmail.com

Dennis Baffour Awuah, Illinois State University

Dennis Baffour Awuah is an MSc History Candidate at the Department of History, Illinois State University, USA. His research focus is on Health Systems particularly in Africa, Health policy within the Ghanaian and African context, and History of Medicine.

ORCID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0203-0081

He can be reached at: awuahdennis53@yahoo.com

Lucky Tomdi, University of New Brunswick

Lucky Tomdi is a Master of Arts Candidate at the Department of History, University of New Brunswick, Canada. His research interest falls in the areas of Social History of Health and Medicine, Economy and African Diaspora. He makes use of historical approaches, methods and analysis to demonstrate the value of history in policy making.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0463-5797

He can be reached at: tomdilucky14@gmail.com

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Published

2020-06-08

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Articles