Carol Holtz

Chapter 3: Theoretical Basis for Transcultural Care

Margaret Andrews, PhD, RN, CTN, FAAN1 Jeffrey R. Backstrand, PhD2 Joyceen S. Boyle, PhD, RN, CTN, FAAN3 Josepha Campinha-Bacote, PhD, MAR, PMHCNS-BC, CTN-A, FAAN4 Ruth E. Davidhizar, DNSc, RN, APRN, BC, FAAN (deceased)5 Dawn Doutrich, PhD, RN, CNS6 Mercedes Echevarria, DNP, APN7 Joyce Newman Giger, EdD, APRN, BC, FAAN8 Jody Glittenberg, PhD, RN, FAAN, TNS9 Carol Holtz, PhD, RN10 Marianne R. Jeffreys, EdD, RN11 Janet R. Katz, PhD, RN12 Marilyn R. McFarland, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CTN-A13 Gloria J. McNeal, PhD, MSN, ACNS-BC, FAAN14 Dula F. Pacquiao, EdD, RN, CTN15 Irena Papadopoulos, PhD, MA, RN, RM, FHEA16 Larry Purnell, PhD, RN, FAAN17 Marilyn A. Ray, PhD, MA, RN, CTN-A18 Mary C. Sobralske, PhD, RN, CTN19 Rachel Spector, PhD, RN, CTN-A, FAAN20 Marian K. Yoder, EdD, RN21 Rick Zoucha, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, CTN22

Book Review: Nursing and Globalization in the Americas: A Critical PerspectiveBredaK. L. (Ed.). (2009). Nursing and Globalization in the Americas: A Critical Perspective. Amityville, NY: Baywood. ISBN: 978-0-89503-353-6

This is an exceptionally exclusive and highly sophisticated nine-chapter textbook that addresses nursing in several geographic areas of the Americas, three of which were written by the editor and six by contributing authors. The uniqueness of this textbook is that the nursing authors specially address nursing education and practice within a historical, cultural, and geographical context of the Americas. The major theoretical framework of this book is based on Critical Political Economic Theory, which is ultimately drawn from the original works of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engles. This framework is the foundation of the concepts of power, structure, and social inequality. In addition, the book’s organization is derived from World Systems Theory. The editor uses an anthropological framework or lens, giving explicit attention to cultural diversity within each geographical region (individual book chapters). History, politics, sociological processes, economics, and geography underscore the historical foundations of nursing, as addressed uniquely within each separate chapter of the countries of Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The final chapter compares, contrasts, and summarizes the implications for global nursing and health of the countries addressed in the book. Of particular note are the three appendices that compare and contrast data from the countries of the Americas giving a unique selection of relevant nursing abbreviations and acronyms, provide a comparison of the titles and educational preparation of nurses, and provide an array of excellent discussion questions. The authors have backgrounds reflecting a foundation in nursing with advanced degrees from prestigious learning institutions, in related areas such as sociology and anthropology, which is quite impressive, often indicting that they are most likely nurse leaders from their respective geographical locations. The book reveals common historical themes of nursing education and practice, such as nursing education existing within religious communities, nurses having subservient roles to doctors (the compliant handmaiden), nurses being taught by physicians and working for physicians, which are evident in the various geographic locations. The lack of rigor in nursing education and practice was evident. Sadly, nurses, particularly those in developing countries, were educated to work in areas for disease prevention, yet their practice required knowledge and skills for working with illnesses of often very sick patients. Nurses frequently found themselves ill-prepared to handle the jobs that were available to them. The historical context has great importance for understanding the need for greater societal value, financial compensation, and recognition of the profession. Also, the chapter authors strongly and very clearly support the need for nursing education, research, and practice to have its own unique body of knowledge, not using a medical model for nursing education, and the need for nurses with advanced degrees in the areas of education, research, and practice. This historical context also clearly explains the problems that nurses have encountered historically, and even more recently, in obtaining fair and adequate financial compensation, safe working conditions, and community respect. The book authors often use old references, but perhaps newer ones for the specific countries are not available. There is some redundancy within the chapters and across chapters that could be from use of multiple authors within and among chapters. The writing styles are generally clear and comprehensible yet not always concise. The book is very unique and original and useful for perhaps undergraduate courses needing a global and historical background. Some of the theoretical concepts are quite challenging, which may be more beneficial for graduate-level courses. The book also has applicability to other disciples such as sociology, anthropology, social work, and Latin American history. The book is particularly relevant for transcultural nursing because it combines a historical view of nursing given the unique cultural backgrounds of the various American area regions, demonstrating the important influence of history, geography, politics, and economics and its relevance to health and health care. 414203 TCNXXX10.1177/1043659611414203 Book ReviewJournal of Transcultural Nursing