This open access book investigates psychiatry in Uganda during the years of decolonisation. It examines the challenges facing a new generation of psychiatrists as they took over responsibility for psychiatry at the end of empire, and explores the ways psychiatric practices were tied to shifting political and development priorities, periods of instability, and a broader context of transnational and international exchange. At its heart is a question that has concerned psychiatrists globally since the mid-twentieth century: how to bridge the social and cultural gap between psychiatry and its patients? Bringing together archival research with oral histories, Yolana Pringle traces how this question came to dominate both national and international discussions on mental health care reform, including at the World Health Organization, and helped spur a culture of experimentation and creativity globally. As Pringle shows, however, the history of psychiatry during the years of decolonisation remained one of marginality, and ultimately, in the context of war and violence, the decolonisation of psychiatry was incomplete.

Provides the first account of the rise, influence, and eventual decline of Uganda's psychiatrists Offers a case study on the development of psychiatry as a transnational and global phenomenon Utilises oral history interviews, giving voice to psychiatrists, community mental health workers, traditional healers, and Ugandan elders

Autorentext
Yolana Pringle is Senior Lecturer in the History of Medicine at the University of Roehampton, UK. Her research encompasses the history of psychiatry, humanitarianism, and violence and health, with a regional focus on East Africa. She has held previous posts at the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick.  

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. A Place on Mulago Hill.- 3. The 'Africanisation' of Psychiatry.- 4. 'Mass Hysteria' in the Wake of Decolonisation.- 5. The Psychiatry of Poverty.- 6. Mobility, Power, and International Mental Health.- 7. The 'Trauma' of War and Violence.- 8. Conclusion.-Bibliography.- Index