The Disappearance of Human-Ghost Relationship from Medical Social Work Education under Biomedicine in Thai Context

Abstract

This article arises from an interest in Actor-Network Theory introduced in the late 20th century. Differing from medical social work that originated with a hospital context in the early 20th century, the theory attempts to create a new analysis framework beyond a human-centered viewpoint. Thinking and practicing with the theory requires modern medical frameworks, so-called Biomedicine and Humanism, which completely dissociate humans from an influence of supernatural power and perceive humans as the only actors in the scenario, resulting in restricted working conditions in social work instead of generally emphasizing social and cultural dimension. Other non-scientific knowledge is consequently ignored and excluded from education while the exploitation of supernatural power by medical social workers is mentioned in foreign countries. The author therefore proposes the substantial necessity of arranging an alternative educational instruction and of defining the role of the non-human actor in human life surrounded by culture and technology to actually provide service to people in every extensive dimension.