Resumo

AGUILAR BENITEZ, Alvaro Corcino. Health/illness and care of kharisiri patients in La Paz, Bolivia. Temas Sociales [online]. 2025, n.57, pp.41-73.  Epub 30-Nov-2025. ISSN 0040-2915.  https://doi.org/10.53287/pgwr4673rf16i.

The kharisiri illness is a body of knowledge concerning health/illness and care in the Andes. The kharisiri is said to extract fat from its victim, who, once recovered from the attack, presents certain symptoms and falls ill. In this article, we will analyze the health/illness and care process of people who are socially identified as kharsutas, based on their social profile and its medical implications. This article employs a qualitative approach, as it seeks to interpret the personal illness experiences of the informants through 21 case studies and 2 supplementary interviews conducted in La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia. The results highlight the influence of social relationships on the healing process of the sick, and the middle and lower social strata to which this group of people, socially identified as kharsutas, belong.

Palavras-chave : Health-illness-care; kharisiri; social profile; medical referrals; social processes; traditional medicine; La Paz-El Alto; Bolivia.

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