A Global South Perspective: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Breast Cancer Secrecy Among Muslim Women

The chapter presents a specialized clinical perspective on breast cancer in the Global South, identifying lived intersections of a female Muslim academic diagnosed with stage 1a breast cancer in 2019, co-authored by a medical sociologist based in India. We investigate rationalizations that shroud a diagnosis of breast cancer in secrecy. The reality of a breast cancer diagnosis provides direct information on secrecy among Muslim women. Professional clinical expertise culminated in examining the notion and secrecy impetus. The intersectional identity includes but is not limited to social capital, culture, religion, race, class, gender, and geography. Confidential data were gathered via a self-initiated support group and a public campaign for early detection of breast cancer. For support and survival, Muslim women rely on close-knit Muslim communities, with schools, community centers, mosques, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based associations (CBOs) that sustain secrecy norms. Muslim women’s diverse cancer knowledge intersects to determine disclosure or secrecy of their diagnosis. Social capital influences Muslim women’s decision to disclose their breast cancer status or keep it a secret. Unique characters evolved via synergistic engagement against breast cancer scholarship, unquestioning other voices, fortify an academic analysis with an autoethnographic narrative.