Bobbie chose to study traditional curing practices and beliefs for her project, “!Brujerías, Curanderas y Mala Suerte: Oh My!”

Bobbie and other students typing field notes on laptop computers.

One discovery she made was that most people in this rural village have abandoned such practices, yet there was a reluctance on the part of those who resort to curanderas to talk about their beliefs and experiences. She was particularly interested in how culture-bound disorders translate across cultural boundaries. In addition to formal interviews and informal iterviewing, she used participant observation by seeking the aid of a traditional curandera who cleansed her on several occasions. After analyzing her data on the basis of different categories of belief, she contends that many culture-bound illnesses are stress-related and affect the female population to a greater degree than they do males.

Bobbie’s Testimony:

“Mexico, for me, was quite a life changing experience. I now feel more comfortable in my own neighborhood in Minnesota. This is because I did not know much about the people or the language before going on the trip. Now, I have a great command of the language, going from only knowing how to ask where the bathroom is to having conversations, and a much better understanding of the culture which helps me relate to the people in my own Minnesota neighborhood better.

Living in the rural setting with a family taught me more about building solid relationships than I had ever imagined. I knew I would learn much about the culture and the language, but I did not expect to learn how to function better in my relationships with other people. By far the living situation was the most meaningful experience for me. Also, learning Mexican history hands on by visiting the sites and talking with others within the culture proved to be another incredible experience.

The project which I conducted was directed towards culture health belief systems; mainly focusing in on curanderas, brujerías, mala suerte and the experiences of people who have encountered the workings of them. It became evident to me that most of the people who have high belief in the workings of brujerías and curanderas were women. I also found that curanderas are a last resort, after doctors, and that most of the disorders that curanderas cure are more psychologically based. Because psychology is such a young profession in Mexico the people do not trust the psychologists and do not have the money to seek their help. These are just some of the factors that I have found to perpetuate the cycle of brujerías and curanderas.”