Healthcare in the Context of Cultural Diversity: Representations and Experiences of the Body in Different Cultures

Abstract

The global movement of people has created social changes that have in turn resulted in an unprecedented cultural diversity of religions, ethnic groups and modes of living. This diversity requires us to redefine priorities in healthcare. In Portugal, a multicultural country, there is an evident need to support people from other countries and of different races, beliefs and cultures in matters of health and illness. We chose to study patients and their families who identify with Muslim and Hindu cultures because this population, which is part of Portuguese society, is undergoing intense suffering and prioritizes religious and cultural principles in the care of sick bodies. This ethnographic study is part of a doctoral dissertation. The results showed differences in how each of these cultures perceives everyday life; however, under conditions of illness, these individuals tend to agree on the physical feelings they experience and the strategies to overcome them. In general, the experience of the Sick Body is expressed by both cultures in terms like “the Public Body” and “the Disobedient Body” and in issues associated with “Privacy”.