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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Mary Elizabeth Bathum, MS, APRN, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin Madison, Clinical Science Center K6 380, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-2455, 608-263-5315, mebathum@wisc.edu

Global health research is a complex and daunting undertaking potentially fraught with cultural misunderstandings, simplifications, overgeneralizations, ethnocentric biases, blind prejudices and cultural paternalism/maternalism. When the global health research is conducted with underprivileged, marginalized, indigenous and/or oppressed populations of the developing world, the complexities of issues surrounding research become even more problematic. Researchers using a critical perspective analyze the historical, political, economic, social, cultural and gender factors that impact on the people and phenomena being studied. This critical analysis can uncover the differences in political understanding and formation, social class and culture, and access to power between researchers and the people being studied. Not addressing these differences can affect the quality, depth and breadth of information that is shared, and can lead to research that may further oppress or cause harm to vulnerable populations. Critical perspective researchers regard research as the beginning of social and/or political action, and look toward research findings as a way to help redress social inequalities. Without understanding the complex perspective of the people being studied and fostering their collaboration in research, researchers cannot fully know what empowerment or social justice may mean in another culture. To demonstrate the usefulness of a critical perspective in global health research, this presentation will analyze the contextual factors that influenced critical and feminist ethnographic research on the health and healing practices of Aymara women in Perú. It will discuss the complexities of partnering with indigenous women in research and the potential of this research to improve the lives of Aymara women.

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