Transcultural Psychiatry: Cultural Difference, Universalism and Social Psychiatry in the Age of Decolonisation.

摘要: In the mid-twentieth century, in aftermath of WWII and Nazi atrocities midst decolonisation, a new discipline transcultural psychiatry was being established institutionalised. This part parcel global political project course which Western attempted to leave behind its colonial legacies entanglements, lay foundation for more inclusive, egalitarian communication between non-Western concepts mental illness healing. this period, infrastructure post-colonial set up, leading psychiatric figures across world embarked on identifying, debating sometimes critiquing universal psychological characteristics psychopathological mechanisms supposedly shared among all cultures civilisations. The article will explore how psychiatric, social cultural search definition 'common humanity' influenced shaped by concurrent rise psychiatry. early phases psychiatry, large number psychiatrists were very keen determine environments basic traits human psychology, 'psy' practitioners anthropologist from over sought re-define relationship culture, race individual psyche. Most them worked within universalist framework, posited that differences merely formed veneer symptoms expressions while core remained same cultures. argue that, even context, explicitly challenged hierarchical racist paradigms founding generations Europe North America tended conceive broader environmental determinants health pathology decolonising fairly reductionist terms-focusing almost exclusively 'cultural difference' cultural, racial ethnic 'traditions', essentialising reifying process, failing establish some common sociological or economic categories analysis 'mentalities'. On other hand, it African Asian as well Marxist Eastern who insisted applying those concepts-such class, occupation, socio-economic change, group pressures relations etc.-which quickly becoming central research West but largely missing psychiatrists' engagement with world. way, relied limits universalism, challenge Eurocentric tendencies. Even though they still subscribed predominant these invoked draw attention universalism's internal incoherence, revise lingering evolutionary thinking They also contributed re-imagining cross-cultural encounters exchanges potentially creative progressive (whereas primarily viewed through prism pathogenic traumatic clash'). Therefore, complex politics shifting overlapping definitions 'social' 'cultural' factors century aims recover revolutionary voices their contributions re-drawing boundaries humanity second half twentieth century.