Reclaiming nursing theory in the global south: Toward a contextually relevant framework

BACKGROUND: This paper extends the North-South dialogue on nursing theory, not by lamenting its underdevelopment in the South but by interrogating the dominance of Eurocentric nursing theory in the Global South. Nurse theorists in the Global North (Euro-North America) espouse the link between nursing theory, professionalization and scholarship as foundational to advancing practice, education, and research. From a Global South perspective, these ideations are context reliant and should be viewed through a multicultural lens. The importation of Eurocentric nursing theories that are not aligned to local cultural and nursing values raises ethical issues about patients' right to acceptable care. Despite critique of Eurocentric theories, there is a notable absence in most Global South countries of locally developed alternatives grounded in indigenous knowledge systems and cultural contexts. PROBLEM: The dearth of publications about the use of nursing theories in four selected countries in the Global South implies that nursing in these regions is largely atheoretical. Atheoretical nursing practice is not guided by a specific conceptual framework and may therefore be considered to be lacking in professionalization and scholarship. This characterization of nursing limits a cohesive, evidence-based team approach to measuring patient outcomes which has implications for patient safety and quality of care. AIM: This paper interrogates the dominance of Eurocentric nursing theories in the Global South and examines how culturally grounded frameworks can reclaim nursing science through locally meaningful models such as Ubuntu Nursology. Using four emerging economies (China, Brazil, India and South Africa) as case examples, we highlight disparities in theory development and propose that Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) can catalyze contextually relevant theorizing in education, research, and practice.