https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17116390
Tiago Pires, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher, “Medical Anthropology” Unit
Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic
Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
[tiago_pires@ymail.com; tiago.pires@iefem.bas.bg],
ORCID: 0000-0003-2351-5165
Anthropology and Psychoanalysis in Ernesto de Martino’s Ethnopsychiatry
Abstract: This paper aims to understand how Ernesto de Martino’s work became the epistemological basis of ethnopsychiatry in Italy, especially through the dialogue between anthropology and psychoanalysis. Demartinian theory can be considered as a foundation for cultural readings of subjectivity and ways of expressing and managing psychological suffering. In this article, I will analyze some of his publications regarding the mythical-ritual aspects of the Italian South (Meridionalist trilogy), specifically his book entitled “La terra del rimorso” (The Land of Remorse), published in 1961. De Martino is not only recognized for his historical contributions to ethnopsychiatry and transcultural psychiatry, but also as a forerunner in the Italian context of what I call a “decolonization of mental health”.
Keywords: Ernesto de Martino; ethnopsychiatry; anthropology; psycho-
analysis.
- Declaration by Authors
- Ethical Approval: Approved
- Source of Funding: The research is within the ERC Project “Taming the European Leviathan: The Legacy of Post-War Medicine and the Common Good” (LEVIATHAN). The project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 854503).
- Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.