Abstract

PUSSETTI, Chiara. Pathologizing diversity: An anthropological critique of the concept of Culture-Bound Syndrome. Etnográfica [online]. 2006, vol.10, n.1, pp.05-40. ISSN 0873-6561.

This article proposes a reflection on the encounter among different practices and theories linked to specific historical and cultural contexts, in a domain that we habitually define as "psychological". The author questions the validity and pertinence of the classification proposed by the DSM-IV, that interprets experiences linked to different cultural horizons accordingly to the rigid structure of biomedical nosology. In particular, the category of culture-bound syndromes will be criticized as a fuzzy and questionable concept and a residual category that pathologies experiences and behaviours of marginalized people.

Keywords : critical ethnopsychiatry; emotions; institutional racism; culture-bound syndromes.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )