Culture, Health and Development in South Asia
Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh
- 148 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Culture, Health and Development in South Asia
Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh
About this book
Recently, mass arsenic poisoning of groundwater has emerged as a disastrous public health concern in Bangladesh. Apart from hundreds of deaths that have already been reported, 85 million people are estimated to be at high risk of developing deadly arsenicosis symptoms. The severity and extent of arsenicosis have obliged the government of Bangladesh to declare it the "worst national disaster" the country has ever faced, and further to be deemed a "state of emergency." To fight this pervasive public health disaster, the Bangladesh government has collaborated with the international and national NGOs to implement development projects to provide arsenic-free water to rural villagers.
Drawing upon ethnographic research in rural Southwestern Bangladesh, this book discusses arsenic contamination and its resultant health impact from a medical anthropological and anthropology of development perspectives. It examines how the actual patients perceive, explain, manage and respond to this catastrophic public health outbreak, and goes on to analyse how such lay perceptions shape health-seeking behaviour of subjects in a medically plural context. To make the issue more holistic, this book further examines mitigation strategies and community participation in these projects.
Challenging approaches to development and development project management, the book is of interest to policy makers, practitioners and academics working in the field of development studies, South Asian studies, medical anthropology, anthropology and sociology of development.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Half-Title Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction: the paradise poisoned
- Arsenic poisoning: culture, health and development perspectives
- Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh: causes, health impacts and health care services
- Ghaa: the social construction of arsenicosis
- Arsenicosis as ghaa and health-seeking behaviour
- Arsenic mitigation strategies: why do they fail?
- Conclusion: the primacy of culture in health and development
- Bibliography
- Index