“On ne change pas de programme”: Using Congolese Literature for the Decolonizing Global Health Movement Público
Rigole, Abigail (Spring 2023)
Abstract
This thesis aims to contribute to the growing scholarship of the Decolonizing Global Health Movement (DGHM) by conducting a critical discourse analysis of global health work, focusing on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC has a long history of international occupation, including by global health agencies, and continues to receive foreign aid while being considered a humanitarian disaster. To address the calls of the DGHM to critically reflect upon global health in its historical context, the thesis constructs a timeline from colonial intervention to modern-day global health in the DRC.
The thesis begins with a literature review that looks at the colonial roots of European intervention in Congo and their transformation into modern-day global health and development work. It then analyzes four literary texts, including Congolese philosopher’s Tchicaya u Tam’si’s poem, Sous le ciel de soi, to qualitatively interpret the sociocultural effects and reception of global health intervention from an ontology that is separate from the biases of western science. The thesis addresses why literary texts are often excluded from the global health discourse, and the benefits of reconsidering this literature into global health theory.
The thesis will also conduct a brief qualitative case study of two Belgian NGOs working in the DRC. By centering Congolese voices that are structurally excluded from global health discourse yet have offered critiques and alternative methodologies in response to its intervention, the aim is to combat the ingrained imperialism within the field of global health and propose new ways of thinking about its role in the DRC.
Overall, this critical discourse analysis of global health work in the DRC aims to contribute to the growing scholarship of the Decolonizing Global Health Movement, and influence policy changes and practices at the individual and organizational levels. By centering Congolese voices and considering the historical context of global health intervention, this thesis offers a fresh perspective on the role of global health in the DRC and beyond.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Chapter 2: Literature Review 8
Defining Intervention 9
A Brief History of Colonial Intervention and Colonial Medicine in Africa 10
Colonial Intervention 10 Colonial Medicine 14
Intervention in Global Health 19
Postcolonial Anxiety 19
Neocolonialism 20
Implications for Global Health 21
Chapter 3: Understanding Intervention through Textual Analysis 28
Methodology 29
Congolese Literature for Decolonization 30
a. Author Biographies 33
b. Matonge à Ixelles 35
c. Béatrice du Congo 43
d. Une Saison au Congo 49
Chapter 4: Analysis of Qualitative Themes and Practical Implications for Organization 52
Qualitative Themes 52
Case Study: Belgian NGOs working in the DRC 56
Chapter 5: Discussion, Recommendations, Conclusion 66
Onto-Epistemic Formulations 66
Multiplicity and Edouard Glissant’s Tout-Monde 68
Moving Towards a Pluriverse 69
Recommendations for the DGHM 70
Conclusion 74
About this Master's Thesis
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