Evidence of cultural hybridity in responses to epilepsy among Pakistani Muslims living in the UK

Abstract

To examine how people from Bradford's Pakistani Muslim community experience living with epilepsy. Specifically, the paper addresses social interactions and negotiations with care providers and considers how different understandings of epilepsy are integrated. Interviews were conducted with a sample of Bradford's Pakistani Muslim community (n = 20). Interviews were analysed to identify themes and significant areas of shared concern. This paper identifies popular, professional and folk sectors contributing to an individual's 'health system'. Where sectors overlap, zones of hybridity are created: that is, a person might simultaneously seek help from a doctor and from a religious healer, or might offer explanations for seizures that include neurological and spiritual components. While there are many similarities between the experiences of these minority ethnic community members and published work on the lived experience of epilepsy in other communities, there are also important differences that service providers need to recognize and respond to. Differences include forms of cultural expression and specific language needs. Improving communication between professionals and persons with epilepsy needs to be prioritized.