Hybridization Model of Local and Medical Knowledge for Postcolonial and Biopolitical-Based Stunting Interventions
Keywords:
Stunting, Local Knowledge, Biopolitics, Postcolonial, Hybridization, Health InterventionAbstract
Stunting is a multidimensional issue extending beyond nutrition to include social, cultural, and political aspects. This study explores how medical and local knowledge interact in stunting interventions using Michel Foucault's concept of biopolitics and a postcolonial perspective. This study used a systematic narrative review of 25 articles. The analysis was conducted using thematic synthesis to address three main focuses: the power relations between medical and local knowledge, biopolitical practices in stunting interventions, and the marginalization or possible hybridization of local knowledge within a postcolonial framework. Results, medical interventions often dominate through standards, indicators, and health protocols, yet their effectiveness is limited when disconnected from cultural contexts. Local knowledge shapes acceptance and sustainability, especially when mediated by traditional or religious institutions. The biopolitical perspective highlights how mothers' and children's bodies become objects of surveillance and normalization, while the postcolonial perspective reveals epistemic hierarchies that sideline local knowledge. Conclusion, combining biomedical perspectives with local knowledge creates a pathway that is both ethically grounded and sustainable in addressing stunting. The study offers guidance for building culturally responsive interventions while promoting epistemic justice in public health policy.
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