Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak

Hansen’s disease, which is also known as leprosy, is one of the dreaded skin afflictions in human history. It had an image of a highly contagious, incurable and hereditary disease. Although Hansen’s disease has been disappearing and is relatively a historical malady in most countries, continuous hum...

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Main Author:	Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2020
Subjects:	DS Asia GN Anthropology H Social Sciences (General)
Online Access:	http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29914/1/Atiqah%20Abd%20Rahim%20ft.pdf
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id	my-unimas-ir.29914
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spelling	my-unimas-ir.299142023-03-06T03:48:37Z Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak 2020-06-11 Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim DS Asia GN Anthropology H Social Sciences (General) Hansen’s disease, which is also known as leprosy, is one of the dreaded skin afflictions in human history. It had an image of a highly contagious, incurable and hereditary disease. Although Hansen’s disease has been disappearing and is relatively a historical malady in most countries, continuous humiliation and stigmatisation towards the afflicted persons led many initiatives and forms of inclusion initiated by the state, self-help groups and international non-profit organisations. This thesis is based on an ethnographic fieldwork that examined the social constructions of Hansen’s disease in Sarawak, and how these constructions have affected the social life of former Hansenites and their families at Kampung Sinar Baru. The study then evaluates on how the understanding of the social constructions of the disease integrates and includes persons affected by Hansen’s disease into society. A theoretical framework suggests that the notion of social inclusion in the Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020 should be integrated into the complex and contested social construction of Hansen’s disease Understanding the complexities of social constructions gives opportunities to the affected persons to express how they wish society to perceive and integrate them into a so-called inclusive society. The findings reveal that the social construction of illness or Hansen’s disease is not only about people who are experiencing it but also the power relations in regard to disseminating ideas about the disease. The ideas that every Hansenite should be sent away to an isolated leprosarium and to separate them from any interaction and communication from public, had dominated the mind of Sarawakians during the nineteenth century. Based on the ideas given by the state, each ethnic group in Sarawak constructed their own perceptions and attitudes regarding Hansen’s disease. Nonetheless, whilst the existing belief and worldviews have been trailed in the communities, the construction of Hansen’s disease is seen as more associated with the subjective experiences of the afflicted persons. Every family has their own stories on experiencing the affliction and people learn how to cope and adapt when diagnosed with Hansen’s disease individually. Lastly, the study suggested on the understanding of social construction of Hansen’s disease before any intervention with the residents of Kampung Sinar Baru. The thesis evaluates and suggests two key points on how the understanding of the social construction of Hansen’s disease integrates and includes persons affected by the affliction into society. The two points are; firstly, it provides a great relief and empowers the needs of the former Hansenites to meld into mainstream society, and secondly, acceptance and understanding by the society are essential to reintegrate these former Hansenites into an inclusive society that accept all background differences. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2020-06 Thesis http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29914/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29914/1/Atiqah%20Abd%20Rahim%20ft.pdf text en validuser masters Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
institution	Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
collection	UNIMAS Institutional Repository
language	English
topic	DS Asia GN Anthropology H Social Sciences (General)
spellingShingle	DS Asia GN Anthropology H Social Sciences (General) Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
description	Hansen’s disease, which is also known as leprosy, is one of the dreaded skin afflictions in human history. It had an image of a highly contagious, incurable and hereditary disease. Although Hansen’s disease has been disappearing and is relatively a historical malady in most countries, continuous humiliation and stigmatisation towards the afflicted persons led many initiatives and forms of inclusion initiated by the state, self-help groups and international non-profit organisations. This thesis is based on an ethnographic fieldwork that examined the social constructions of Hansen’s disease in Sarawak, and how these constructions have affected the social life of former Hansenites and their families at Kampung Sinar Baru. The study then evaluates on how the understanding of the social constructions of the disease integrates and includes persons affected by Hansen’s disease into society. A theoretical framework suggests that the notion of social inclusion in the Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020 should be integrated into the complex and contested social construction of Hansen’s disease Understanding the complexities of social constructions gives opportunities to the affected persons to express how they wish society to perceive and integrate them into a so-called inclusive society. The findings reveal that the social construction of illness or Hansen’s disease is not only about people who are experiencing it but also the power relations in regard to disseminating ideas about the disease. The ideas that every Hansenite should be sent away to an isolated leprosarium and to separate them from any interaction and communication from public, had dominated the mind of Sarawakians during the nineteenth century. Based on the ideas given by the state, each ethnic group in Sarawak constructed their own perceptions and attitudes regarding Hansen’s disease. Nonetheless, whilst the existing belief and worldviews have been trailed in the communities, the construction of Hansen’s disease is seen as more associated with the subjective experiences of the afflicted persons. Every family has their own stories on experiencing the affliction and people learn how to cope and adapt when diagnosed with Hansen’s disease individually. Lastly, the study suggested on the understanding of social construction of Hansen’s disease before any intervention with the residents of Kampung Sinar Baru. The thesis evaluates and suggests two key points on how the understanding of the social construction of Hansen’s disease integrates and includes persons affected by the affliction into society. The two points are; firstly, it provides a great relief and empowers the needs of the former Hansenites to meld into mainstream society, and secondly, acceptance and understanding by the society are essential to reintegrate these former Hansenites into an inclusive society that accept all background differences.
format	Thesis
qualification_level	Master's degree
author	Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim
author_facet	Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim
author_sort	Atiqah, Binti Abd Rahim
title	Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
title_short	Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
title_full	Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
title_fullStr	Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
title_full_unstemmed	Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak
title_sort	social construction of hansen's disease : voices of former hansenites at kampung sinar baru, sarawak
granting_institution	Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
granting_department	Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
publishDate	2020
url	http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29914/1/Atiqah%20Abd%20Rahim%20ft.pdf
_version_	1783728371421675520

Social Construction of Hansen's disease : Voices of Former Hansenites at Kampung Sinar Baru, Sarawak

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