This thesis explores the historical, cultural and social reasons for the wariness that the
nomadic Tuareg of Niger have towards Western medicine and medical practitioners. I
give a historical account of their interactions with and resistance to the French colonial
administration and the postcolonial state of Niger and how this resistance to Western
medicine and health clinics was an embodied form of political and social resistance to
governmentality and state attempts at sedentarization. I provide historical example of
when health care delivery was successful and was embraced rather than resisted as well
as the ways in which the Tuareg have not only integrated Western medicines into their
lives but the ways in which these often scarce medicines are distributed to the community
as a whole.
I performed a systematic review of the medical, public health, and social science
literature examining published and unpublished documents and doctoral dissertations on
the health of the Tuareg and history of Niger. I also conducted interviews with
journalists, anthropologists, humanitarian aid workers and a physician that have worked
with the Tuareg in Niger.
Despite this resistance and physical remoteness there are also success stories of how trust
can be achieved and health care successfully delivered to the Tuareg. This research
demonstrates that even with enormous cultural, social and political resistance and under
circumstances of poor infrastructure and limited resources, Western medicine is not only
desired but can be delivered to remote populations. In my conclusion, I discuss the
differential impact that sedentarization and recent famines have had on the way of life of
the Tuareg and their access to health care.