The Power of Narrative: The Impact of Stories about Healing through Unconventional Medicine

Abstract

The paper considers the importance and impact of narratives about healing through unconventional medicine, from the viewpoint of the anthropology of folklore. Thus, the paper deals with the ways in which such stories function and ways in which they are classified as a genre, as well as the effect that they have on their audience and the social conditions which enable their transmission. These stories are of importance in considering the social issue of the treatment of illness, because they tell of the possibility of being cured even in cases of lethal disease. Their importance for the recipients is directly linked to this, because these narratives encourage the belief in unconventional healing methods and give hope in facing disease. Special attention has been given to the factors which lead the recipients to believe these narratives.