Saturday, December 17, 2011
What are some examples of cultural conflicts?
You could use the book "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman. It's about Lia Lee, the daughter of a Hmong family, who was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. There was a lot of misunderstanding and conflict between the family and american doctors, including language barriers and drastically differing beliefs on the proper treatment for Lia. Doctors set up a complex regime of medication to try to get Lia's seizures under control. Her parents spoke no English and were illiterate, and were also very new to the concept of western medicine, and so her medication was given to her infrequently and inconsistently. Eventually the lack of understanding between the doctors and the parents led to a mive seizure and permanent brain damage in Lia. The book gives a pretty good account of their time in the hospital, as well as background on Hmong culture that helps better understand the position the Lee's were in.
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