The standard study abroad program usually means 10 weeks in Paris or Madrid and some fun pictures. But Anne Bowler, a rising senior from Dallas, Texas, had a very different experience: she spent part of her study abroad program living in a Zulu village. Before leaving, Bowler had received an Emerson grant to research the South African attitude toward a medical system which relies upon both traditional healing and Western medicine. She completed part of her fieldwork in Africa, but she will spend the summer conducting further research into what she calls a "universal desire for health."
Bowler went to the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa this spring on a public health program organized by the School for International Training. The first half of the program was devoted to classes (including language lessons), but the second half was time for the students to complete fieldwork and individual research.
Bowler did her fieldwork in the remote Zulu village of Wangu, where she stayed with a traditional healer. A healer, or sangoma, is an important figure in a Zulu community, and Bowler noted that "80 percent of South Africans use traditional medicine as the first healer." During her stay in Wangu, Bowler distributed surveys which asked the subject to describe a time when he or she had been sick, and what kind of healing had been chosen. "I wanted to know what motivated people to go to a healer," Bowler explained. "For what ailments did people choose to see a traditional healer? What were the attitudes within the community towards these two different forms of healing?"
"I decided that the strongest way to do this was through narrative," Bowler added. The answers to her surveys are certainly that: pictures and short stories, written out on lined paper in Zulu. Bowler spent the last weeks of her stay in South Africa translating her collection of stories and pictures into English, and used them to draw conclusions about how South Africans viewed their medical options. "The key word here is fluidity," she said. "These people move between the two systems; they do whatever they need to do to get healthy."
Although there is no strong parallel to Zulu traditional healing in the U.S., alternative medicine, which includes everything from yoga to color therapy, is becoming more and more popular. Bowler's work this summer continues her African research by asking American subjects across the country to describe a time when they or someone they knew had used alternative therapy.
Bowler is waiting for responses on her current set of surveys. While she waits, she researches alternative medicine in the Clinton area, as well as the country-wide use of alternative healing methods. She also shared the news that she had joined a yoga wellness center in nearby New York Mills and hoped to talk to her yoga classmates about their medical choices.
Although Bowler is concerned that Americans may be reticent to share stories about their health, this would seem to be the only problem. Other than that, Bowler had only good things to say about her experiences doing research. She emphasized how important her experiences in South Africa had been. "I've never learned so much in my life," she said. "I'm still learning things."
During the year, Bowler is a member of the crew team, a barista at Café Opus, and a leader for Hamilton's Adirondack Adventure. She is a pre-med philosophy major and plans to take some time after Hamilton to complete the necessary science courses before entering medical school. Her long-term goal is a degree in public health.
Bowler's research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty mentors, researching an area of mutual interest. Bowler's advisor is Professor of Government Steve Orvis. Recipients typically undertake some combination of fieldwork, laboratory investigation, library research and the development of teaching materials. A public presentation of their findings is required of all Emerson Scholars during the academic year.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
Bowler went to the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa this spring on a public health program organized by the School for International Training. The first half of the program was devoted to classes (including language lessons), but the second half was time for the students to complete fieldwork and individual research.
Bowler did her fieldwork in the remote Zulu village of Wangu, where she stayed with a traditional healer. A healer, or sangoma, is an important figure in a Zulu community, and Bowler noted that "80 percent of South Africans use traditional medicine as the first healer." During her stay in Wangu, Bowler distributed surveys which asked the subject to describe a time when he or she had been sick, and what kind of healing had been chosen. "I wanted to know what motivated people to go to a healer," Bowler explained. "For what ailments did people choose to see a traditional healer? What were the attitudes within the community towards these two different forms of healing?"
"I decided that the strongest way to do this was through narrative," Bowler added. The answers to her surveys are certainly that: pictures and short stories, written out on lined paper in Zulu. Bowler spent the last weeks of her stay in South Africa translating her collection of stories and pictures into English, and used them to draw conclusions about how South Africans viewed their medical options. "The key word here is fluidity," she said. "These people move between the two systems; they do whatever they need to do to get healthy."
Although there is no strong parallel to Zulu traditional healing in the U.S., alternative medicine, which includes everything from yoga to color therapy, is becoming more and more popular. Bowler's work this summer continues her African research by asking American subjects across the country to describe a time when they or someone they knew had used alternative therapy.
Bowler is waiting for responses on her current set of surveys. While she waits, she researches alternative medicine in the Clinton area, as well as the country-wide use of alternative healing methods. She also shared the news that she had joined a yoga wellness center in nearby New York Mills and hoped to talk to her yoga classmates about their medical choices.
Although Bowler is concerned that Americans may be reticent to share stories about their health, this would seem to be the only problem. Other than that, Bowler had only good things to say about her experiences doing research. She emphasized how important her experiences in South Africa had been. "I've never learned so much in my life," she said. "I'm still learning things."
During the year, Bowler is a member of the crew team, a barista at Café Opus, and a leader for Hamilton's Adirondack Adventure. She is a pre-med philosophy major and plans to take some time after Hamilton to complete the necessary science courses before entering medical school. Her long-term goal is a degree in public health.
Bowler's research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty mentors, researching an area of mutual interest. Bowler's advisor is Professor of Government Steve Orvis. Recipients typically undertake some combination of fieldwork, laboratory investigation, library research and the development of teaching materials. A public presentation of their findings is required of all Emerson Scholars during the academic year.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
