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Dissertation Information for Lisa Renee Henry

NAME:
- Lisa Renee Henry

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Anthropology

SCHOOL:
- Southern Methodist University (USA) (1999)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: The reconstruction and revitalization of Tahitian healing

Abstract: This research investigates the system of Tahitian healing within the context of a plural medical system in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France. The Territory has experienced significant economic development since 1962, when France began construction of its nuclear testing facility, Centre d'Expérimentation du Pacific (CEP), in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Expanding French involvement in the Territory has led to the proliferation of biomedicine, an epidemiological transition and much Western acculturation, experienced within the lifetime of Tahitian adults. The proliferation of biomedicine results in, a plural medical system on all the islands. Extensive government support and aid packages prevent barriers that often preclude the use of biomedicine among indigenous populations, such as cost, accessibility, or knowledge. Tahitians accept and utilize biomedicine for many illnesses, and yet local healing continues to flourish and is used routinely by rural and urban islanders. I examine this persistence of Tahitian healing through the process of its reconstruction and revitalization in contemporary French Polynesia. Specially, I discuss the reconstruction of ethnomedical knowledge and practice to effectively meet the contemporary healthcare needs of Tahitians. Additionally, I examine the significance of the relatively recent revitalization of Tahitian culture and the growing nationalist movement on the persistence and Tahitian healing. While I suggest that Tahitian healing is embedded within the Tahitian cultural revitalization movement, I stop short of suggesting that pro-independence Tahitians support indigenous healing for political reasons. I conclude that healthcare decisions among nationalists are included in the context of cultural expression and the reclamation of a Tahitian national identity.

MPACT Scores for Lisa Renee Henry

A = 0
C = 2
A+C = 2
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2010-02-08 12:52:09

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