Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-26T22:37:00.282Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

19 - Human Rights Seen through a Cultural Lens

Perspectives from Africa and Asia

from Part III - Contemporary Issues in Psychology and Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2020

By
Rashmi Jaipal  and
Ayorkor Gaba
Edited by
Neal S. Rubin  and
Roseanne L. Flores
Neal S. Rubin
Affiliation:
Adler University
Roseanne L. Flores
Affiliation:
Hunter College, City University of New York
Get access

Summary

The relationship between culture, psychology and human rights remains relatively unexplored. Analyses of human rights violations and challenges to its implementation in non-Western cultures usually involve socioeconomic and political analyses but rarely bring in psychological cultural differences as a lens through which to understand these phenomena. A cross-cultural psychological approach can yield fruitful and interesting perspectives. Specifically, it can shed some light on the treatment of mental illness in former colonies and non-Western cultures, and on whether the conceptualization of human rights is universal across cultures. The authors explore these issues in two parts of the world, Africa and Asia. The first section provides a historical framework of the legacy of colonization and its impact on the treatment of mental health in Africa, as well as attempts by African countries to incorporate African cultural values into their human rights frameworks. The second section looks at human rights paradoxes in the treatment of mental illness in Asia and utilizes cross-cultural and Indigenous psychology to delve deeper into cultural differences in the conceptualization of human rights, which is seen as arising out of a Western cultural context.

Keywords

Cross-CulturalAfricaAsiaColonizationIndiaIndigeneousGlobalizationTrauma
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights , pp. 288 - 302
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. (1981). African charter on human and peoples’ rights. OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/67/3 rev. 5, 21 I.L.M. 58 (1982). www.achpr.org/instruments/achpr/Google Scholar
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. (1990). African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. www.achpr.org/instruments/child/Google Scholar
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. (1995). Protocol to the African charter on human and peoples’ rights on the rights of women in Africa. OAU, Session 31, AHG/Res.240. www.achpr.org/instruments/women-protocol/Google Scholar
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. (2018). Legal instruments.www.achpr.org/instruments/Google Scholar
Ahmadou, N. (2007, December 20). The African Union and human rights in Africa. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies. https://oldsite.issafrica.org/iss-today/the-african-union-and-human-rights-in-africaGoogle Scholar
Asomah, J. Y. (2015). Cultural rights versus human rights: A critical analysis of the trokosi practice in Ghana and the role of civil society. African Human Rights Law Journal, 15(1), 129–149.Google Scholar
Biswal, R., Subudhi, C., & Acharya, S. K. (2017). Healers and healing practices of mental illness in India: The role of proposed eclectic healing model. Journal of Health Research and Reviews in Developing Countries, 4(3), 89–95.Google Scholar
Branco, A. U. (2012). Values and sociocultural practices: Pathways to moral development. In Valsiner, J. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of cultural psychology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bulhan, H. A. (2015). Stages of colonialism in Africa: From occupation of land to occupation of being. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 3(1), 239–256.Google Scholar
Burgis, T. (2015). The looting machine: Warlords, tycoons, smugglers and the systemic theft of Africa’s wealth. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.Google Scholar
Camara, F. K. (2014). Teaching, promoting, and implementing human rights instruments in Africa: The need to contextualize. University of the Pacific McGeorge Global Business and Development Law Journal, 27(1), 53–76.Google Scholar
Campion, J., & Bhugra, D. (1997). Experiences of religious healing in psychiatric patients in South India. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 32(4), 215–221.Google Scholar
Chung, S., & An, H. (2014). Cultural issues of co-sleeping in Korea. Sleep Medicine Research, 5(2), 37–42.Google Scholar
David, E. J. R. (2010). Testing the validity of the colonial mentality implicit association test and the interactive effects of covert and overt colonial mentality on Filipino American mental health. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 1(1), 31–45.Google Scholar
David, E. J. R., & Okazaki, S. (2010). Activation and automaticity of colonial mentality. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(4), 850–887.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gawanas, B. (2009). The African Union: Concepts and implementation mechanisms relating to human rights. In Bösl, A. & Diescho, J. (Eds.), Human rights in Africa: Legal perspectives on their protection and promotion (pp. 135–162). Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia.Google Scholar
Gearty, C. (2010). Common track 5: Asian values, China and human rights. The Rights’ Future: Exploring Dignity, Accountability, Equality and Commitment. https://therightsfuture.com/common-tracks/asian-values/Google Scholar
Ghanashyam, B., & Nagarathinam, S. (2010). India is failing the mentally ill as abuses continue. Lancet, 376(9753), 1633–1634.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gittleman, R. (1984). The African convention of human and peoples’ rights: Prospects and procedures. In Hannum, H. (Ed.), Guide to international human rights practice. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Gururaj, G., Varghese, M., Benegal, V., Rao, G. N., Pathak, K., Singh, L. K., … & Misra, R. (2016). National mental health survey of India, 2015–16: Prevalence, patterns and outcomes. Bengaluru, NIMHANS Publication No. 129. www.nimhans.ac.in/sites/default/files/u197/NMHS%20Report%20%28Prevalence%20patterns%20and%20outcomes%29%201.pdfGoogle Scholar
Herman, A., Stein, D. J., Seedat, S., Heeringa, S. G., Moomal, H., & Williams, D. R. (2009). The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. South African Medical Journal, 99(5 Pt 2), 339–344.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Human Rights Watch. (2012a, October 2). “Like a death sentence”: Abuses against persons with mental disabilities in Ghana. www.hrw.org/report/2012/10/02/death-sentence/abuses-against-persons-mental-disabilities-ghanaGoogle Scholar
Human Rights Watch. (2012b, June 21). South Sudan: Arbitrary detentions, dire prison conditions: Plight of prisoners points to urgent need for reforms. www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/21/south-sudan-arbitrary-detentions-dire-prison-conditionsGoogle Scholar
International Federation for Human Rights. (2010). The African court on human and peoples’ rights: Towards the African court of justice and human rights. www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/african_court_guide.pdfGoogle Scholar
Kar, N. (2008). Resort to faith-healing practices in the pathway to care for mental illness: A study on psychiatric inpatients in Orissa. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 11(70), 720–740.Google Scholar
Langlois, A. (2010). Response to common track 5: Asian values, China and human rights. The Rights’ Future: Exploring Dignity, Accountability, Equality and Commitment. https://therightsfuture.com/common-tracks/asian-values/Google Scholar
Mabovula, N. N. (2011). The erosion of African communal values: A reappraisal of the African Ubuntu philosophy. Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), 38–47.Google Scholar
Makumba, M. M. (2007). An introduction to African philosophy: Past and present. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.Google Scholar
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2003). Culture, self, and the reality of the social. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 277–283.Google Scholar
Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. C. (Eds.). (2019). The handbook of culture and psychology (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Mazrui, A. (2004). Globalization and some linguistic dimensions of human rights in Africa. In Zeleza, P. T. & McConnaughay, P. J. (Eds.), Human rights and development in Africa (pp. 52–70). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Mental Healthcare Act. (2017). https://indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2249/1/A2017-10.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mfoafo-M’Carthy, M., & Huls, S. (2014). Human rights violations and mental illness: Implications for engagement and adherence. Sage Journals, 4(1).Google Scholar
Miller, J. G., Das, R., & Chakravarthy, S. (2011). Culture and the role of choice in agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 46–61.Google Scholar
Miller, J. G., Goyal, N., & Wice, M. (2017). A cultural psychology of agency: Morality, motivation, and reciprocity Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(5), 867–875.Google Scholar
Misra, G. (2007). Construction of self: A cross-cultural perspective. In Rao, K. (Ed.), Mindscapes: Global perspectives on psychology in mental health (pp. 32–42). Jayanagar: National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).Google Scholar
Mohatt, N. V., Thompson, A. B., Thai, N. D., & Kraemer Tebes, J. (2015). Historical trauma as public narrative: A conceptual review of how history impacts present-day health. Social Science and Medicine, 106, 128–136.Google Scholar
Mojekwu, C. C. (1980). International human rights: The African perspective. In Nelson, J. L. & Green, V. M. (Eds.), International human rights: Contemporary issues (pp. 85–95). New York, NY: Human Rights Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Mokgoro, J. Y. (1998). Ubuntu and the law in South Africa. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 1(1), 1–11.Google Scholar
Monteiro, N. M., & Wall, D. J. (2011). African dance as healing modality throughout the diaspora: The use of ritual and movement to work through trauma. Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(6), 234–252.Google Scholar
Mucherera, T. N., & Lartey, E. Y. (2017). Pastoral care, health, healing, and wholeness in African contexts: Methodology, context, and issues (African practical theology). Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.Google Scholar
Nmehielle, V. O. O. (2001). The African human rights system: Its laws, practice, and institutions. In International Studies in Human Rights (vol. LXIX). Leiden, the Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.Google Scholar
Nünning, V., & Nünning, A. (2015). Fictions of empire and the (un-)making of imperialist mentalities: Colonial discourse and post-colonial criticism revisited. Forum for World Literature Studies, 7(2), 171–198.Google Scholar
Obaid, T. A. (2010). Promoting human rights across cultures. Speech delivered to the United Nations Population Fund. www.unfpa.org/press/promoting-human-rights-across-culturesGoogle Scholar
Odinkalu, C. A. (2003). Back to the future: The imperative of prioritizing for the protection of human rights in Africa. Journal of African Law, 47(1), 1–37.Google Scholar
Panikkar, R. (1982). Is the notion of a Western concept? Diogenes, 30(120), 75–102.Google Scholar
Paranjpe, A. C. (2002). Indigenous psychology in the post-colonial context: An historical perspective. Psychology and Developing Societies, 14(1), 27–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollis, A., & Schwab, P. (1980). Human rights: A Western construct with limited applicability. In Pollis, A. & Schwab, P. (Eds.), Human rights cultural and ideological perspectives (Ch. 1). New York, NY: Praeger.Google Scholar
Rao, K. R., & Paranjpe, A. C. (2016). Psychology in the Indian tradition (pp. 37–69). New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media.Google Scholar
Sadath, A., Narasimha, V. M., Rao, M., Kumar, V., Muralidhar, D., … Supraja, A. (2014). Human rights violation in mental health: A case report from India. Journal of Psychiatry, 17(3), 1–2.Google Scholar
Shweder, R. A. (2003). Why do men barbecue? Recipes for cultural psychology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Shweder, R. A., & Bourne, F. (1984). Does the concept of the person vary cross culturally? In Shweder, R. A. & Levine, R. (Eds.), Culture theory: Essays on mind, self and emotions (pp. 158–199). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Singh, M. P. (2009). Human rights in the Indian tradition: An alternative model. NUJS Law Review, 2(2), 145.Google Scholar
Suchday, S., Santoro, A. F., Ramanayake, N., Lewin, H., & Almeida, M. (2018). Religion, spirituality, globalization reflected in life beliefs among urban Asian Indian youth. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 10(2), 146–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. (2017, May 25). Africa’s leadership deficit and colonial trauma: Freedom without liberation. www.ijr.org.za/2017/05/25/africas-leadership-deficit-and-colonial-trauma-freedom-without-liberation/Google Scholar
Traer, R. (1991). Faith in human rights: Support in religious traditions for a global struggle. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Triandis, H. C. (1989). The self and social behavior in differing cultural contexts. Psychological Review, 96(3), 506–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C., & Suh, E. M. (2002). Cultural influences on personality. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 133–160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
United Nations [UN]. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights History of the Document. www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/history-document/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [UN OHRCHC]. (2001). The new partnership for Africa’s development. www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/RuleOfLaw/CompilationDemocracy/Pages/NEPAD.aspxGoogle Scholar
Utsey, S. O., Abrams, J. A., Opare-Henaku, A., Bolden, M. A., & Williams, O. (2014). Assessing the psychological consequences of internalized colonialism on the psychological well-being of young adults in Ghana. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(3), 195–220.Google Scholar
Verma, J. (2004). Social values. In Pandey, J. (Ed.), Psychology in India revisited: Developments in the discipline. (vol. III, pp. 69–117). New Delhi: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Visser, I. (2015). Decolonizing trauma theory: Retrospect and prospects. Humanities, 4(2), 250–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, C. E., Jr. (2001). Protecting human rights in Africa: Strategies and roles of nongovernmental organizations. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Whiteford, H. A., Degenhardt, L., Rehm, J., Baxter, A. J., Ferrari, A. J., Erskine, H. E., … Vos, T. (2013). Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet, 382(9904), 1575–1586.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO). (2010). mhGAP intervention guide for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialized health settings. www.who.int/mental_health/publications/mhGAP_intervention_guide/en/Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×