The place of race and racism in cultural competence

What can we learn from the English experience about the narratives of evidence and argument

Bibliographic Data

ID2394890
AuthorsKamaldeep Bhui (0000-0002-9205-2144, Queen Mary University of London, corresponding author), Micol Ascoli (Queen Mary University of London), Olivia Nuamh (Atkinson Foundation)
Year2012
Volume49
Issue2
Pages185-205
Publication date2012-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTranscultural Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4615 • E-ISSN: 1461-7471
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363461512437589
PMID22421685
OpenAlexW2097018575
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited23

This paper outlines the history of workforce strategies for providing mental health care to "black and ethnic minorities" in England. Universal mental health policies failed to deliver equity in care, and thus specific policies were launched to address ethnic inequalities in care experiences and outcomes. The emphasis on race equality rather than cultural complexity led to widespread acceptance of the need for change. The policy implementation was delivered in accord with multiple regional and national narratives of how to reduce inequalities. As changes in clinical practice and services were encouraged, resistance emerged in various forms from clinicians and policy leaders. In the absence of commitment and then dispute about forms of evidence, divergent policy and clinical narratives fuelled a shift of attention away from services to silence issues of race equality. The process itself represents a defence against the pain of acknowledging systemic inequities whilst rebutting perceived criticism. We draw on historical, psychoanalytic, and learning theory in order to understand these processes and the multiple narratives that compete for dominance. The place of race, ethnicity, and culture in history and their representation in unconscious and conscious thought are investigated to reveal why cultural competence training is not simply an educational intervention. Tackling inequities requires personal development and the emergence and containment of primitive anxieties, hostilities, and fears. In this paper we describe the experience in England of moving from narratives of cultural sensitivity and cultural competence, to race equality and cultural capability, and ultimately to cultural consultation as a process. Given the need to apprehend narratives in care practice, especially at times of disputed evidence, cultural consultation processes may be an appropriate paradigm to address intersectional inequalities

Cultural competence · Ethnic group · Narrative · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Racism · Sociology · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Gender Studies · Global Health Workforce Issues · Migration, Health and Trauma