Decolonizing madness? Transcultural psychiatry, international order and birth of a 'global psyche' in the aftermath of the Second World War

Bibliographic Data

ID5783293
AuthorsAleksandar Antić (0000-0001-5041-6141, University of Copenhagen, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume17
Issue1
Pages20-41
Publication date2021-04-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Global History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-0228 • E-ISSN: 1740-0236
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1740022821000115
OpenAlexW3156902195
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited1

This article offers a transnational account of the historical origins and development of the concept of 'global psyche' and transcultural psychiatry. It argues that the concept of universal, global psyche emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War and during decolonization, when West European psychiatry strove to leave behind its colonial legacies and lay the foundation for a more inclusive conversation between Western and non-Western mental health communities. In the second half of the twentieth century, leading 'psy' professionals across the globe set about identifying and defining the universal psychological mechanisms supposedly shared among all cultures (and 'civilizations'). The article explores this far-reaching psychiatric, social and cultural search for a new definition of 'common humanity', relating it to the social and political history of decolonization, and to the post-war reconstruction and search for stable peace. It provides a transnational account of a series of interlinked developments and trends around the world in order to arrive at a global history of the decolonization of mental health science

Global mental health · Globe · Mainstream · Psyche · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices · Medical History and Research