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Troubled Minds
Arne S. Steinforth
其他書名
On the Cultural Construction of Mental Disorder and Normality in Southern Malaŵi
出版Peter Lang, 2009
主題History / Africa / GeneralPsychology / GeneralPsychology / Psychopathology / GeneralPsychology / Mental HealthPsychology / EthnopsychologyReligion / GeneralSocial Science / GeneralSocial Science / Anthropology / Cultural & SocialSocial Science / Anthropology / PhysicalSocial Science / Ethnic Studies / GeneralSocial Science / Sociology / GeneralSocial Science / Sociology of ReligionSocial Science / Disease & Health Issues
ISBN36315871719783631587171
URLhttp://books.google.com.hk/books?id=R4bHu8VJnigC&hl=&source=gbs_api
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註釋Every society has its own definition of a normal and an abnormal human condition. For persons living with mental disorders, these concepts have a tremendous impact. This study investigates how the abnormal mind is culturally defined in Malaŵi, South-Eastern Africa. Based on anthropological techniques such as interviews, participant observation, and archive research, it explores the different social dimensions of mental disorder - e.g. its reflection in traditional dance rituals, in behavioural rules during pregnancy, or in the healing ministry of independent churches. It demonstrates how local explanations of mental disorder - be it witchcraft, an angry ancestor, or the will of God - determine the social acceptance of an affected person's condition. Recent processes of cultural change, however, strengthen the pluralism of Malaŵian religious landscape, opening the local debate to an ever wider range of interpretations.