Psychiatric pluralism in Bengal, India
Bhattacharyya, D.P.
Social Science and Medicine 17(14): 947-956
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0277-9536 PMID: 6623104 DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(83)90221-6Document Number: 394949
By examining the pluralistic nature of the psychiatric domain in Bengal, India, the paper critically analyzes the concept of medical pluralism. Three varieties of pluralism are identified: the social institutional pluralism of the diverse specialists, the cultural cognitive pluralism of the clients' conceptual frameworks, and the pluralism resulting from the divergent perspectives of clients and specialists. The paper argues that all three forms of pluralism can be better understood if pluralism is conceptualized in terms of actors' structuring activities and thus as an emergent product of social interaction.