Symbolic violence in the health field: reporting a case of spiritual cure in a hybrid therapeutic space

Abstract

In light of Pierre Bourdieu's theory, I highlight the symbolic violence derived from the relations of forces between medical and religious agents and practices inside a philanthropic institution that provides healthcare for patients suffering from multiple deficiencies. Concerning the ethnographic work, I describe details of the agreement between spiritualistic religious administrators and health professionals during the development of a project that included spiritualistic assistance. A cure case emerges as a symbolic asset and there were two versions to explain the recovery of the patient, who had been under ICU treatment for a long time: the religious version, which understood the rehabilitation as spiritual cure, and the medical version, which understood it as the result of the medical activities and management.