Guru- Śiṣya Parampara: compliance with authority & non-compliance with treatment
Sushrut Jadhav
(University College London)
Contribution description:
I examine father-son relationships in the context of mental health training in India, and how anthropological insights may contribute to this pedagocic dyad, and its impact on patients who seek help from mental health professionals in India.
Paper long abstract:
A hierarchical patriarchal teacher – student (Guru-Śiṣya) relationship continues to underpin the interaction between senior Indian mental health professionals and their junior trainees. Although commonly cited in the context of Music, Art, & psychotherapy, this subject also dominates the academic personal ties between senior Indian mental health professionals and their more junior trainees. In most instances, the alliance between autocratic Fathers and submissive Sons is fraught with tensions that are rarely verbalised freely. Thus, Sons of Fathers of India’s mental health cannot mount a challenge, or for that matter, confront received theory or practice unless the Teacher (Guru) has given his blessings to the student (Śiṣya). Through a process of collusion between internalised colonial authority and more grounded ancient cultural prescriptions that legitimise and bestow power on the Father figure, the submissive trainee and patient suffer from consequences of such cultural dynamic. If, as an extreme scenario, declaring a Teacher’s (Guru’s) sacred teaching as profane is fraught with grave personal social consequences, what creative alternatives are available to the budding junior trainee?
Accepted Contribution:
Contribution description:
Paper long abstract:
A hierarchical patriarchal teacher – student (Guru-Śiṣya) relationship continues to underpin the interaction between senior Indian mental health professionals and their junior trainees. Although commonly cited in the context of Music, Art, & psychotherapy, this subject also dominates the academic personal ties between senior Indian mental health professionals and their more junior trainees. In most instances, the alliance between autocratic Fathers and submissive Sons is fraught with tensions that are rarely verbalised freely. Thus, Sons of Fathers of India’s mental health cannot mount a challenge, or for that matter, confront received theory or practice unless the Teacher (Guru) has given his blessings to the student (Śiṣya). Through a process of collusion between internalised colonial authority and more grounded ancient cultural prescriptions that legitimise and bestow power on the Father figure, the submissive trainee and patient suffer from consequences of such cultural dynamic. If, as an extreme scenario, declaring a Teacher’s (Guru’s) sacred teaching as profane is fraught with grave personal social consequences, what creative alternatives are available to the budding junior trainee?
Anthropology across disciplines
Session 1