Anger Regulation in Traumatized Cambodian Refugees: The Perspectives of Buddhist Monks

Recent research has highlighted the importance of traditional methods of healing in relation to the treatment of psychological distress in non-Western populations. This pilot study, conducted in Massachusetts, investigates what Buddhist Cambodian monks consider to be the causes, phenomenology and appropriate intervention strategies for anger among Cambodian refugees. Six monks were interviewed at four major temples in Massachusetts. Findings suggested that anger was common in the Cambodian community, was frequently triggered by marital discord, and commonly resulted in verbal and physical violence and, sometimes, suicidality. Buddhist-based anger management strategies identified as useful by the monks included education about Buddhist doctrines, mindfulness meditation practices, and the use of herbal medication and holy water. These anger regulation strategies and treatments are discussed in the context of Buddhist beliefs and Western psychological interventions.     

The Cultural Context of Aging: Woridwide Perspectives

The Cultural Context of Aging: Woridwide Perspectives. 2nd edition. Jay Sokolovsky. ed. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey, 1997 (cloth and paper), xxxi. 576 pp.     

Violence Against Women in Cambodia: Towards a Culturally Responsive Theory of Change

Almost one in four women in Cambodia is a victim of physical, emotional or sexual violence. This article brings together two seldom connected fields: Theory of Change (ToC) and cultural responsiveness in international development. It applies these approaches to a priority in global health, which is to prevent violence against women (VAW) and, drawing on my research on the epigenesis of VAW in Cambodia, develops an argument on the need for interventions to work with tradition and culture rather than only highlight it in problematic terms. The research draws on an ethnographic study carried out in Cambodia with 102 perpetrators and survivors of emotional, physical and sexual VAW and 228 key informants from the Buddhist and healing sectors. The eight ‘cultural attractors’ identified in the author’s prior research highlight the cultural barriers to acceptance of the current Theory of Change. ToC for VAW prevention in Cambodia seems to assume that local culture promotes VAW and that men and women must be educated to eradicate the traditional gender norms. There is a need for interventions to work with tradition and culture rather than only highlight it in problematic terms. The cultural epigenesis of VAW in Cambodia is an insight which can be used to build culturally responsive interventions and strengthen the primary prevention of VAW.     

Japanese Images of Nature: Cultural Perspectives

Japanese Images of Nature: Cultural Perspectives. Pamela J. Asquith and Arne Kalland. eds. Richmond Surrey, UK: Curzon, 1997. 290 pp.     

Meanings of Violence: A Cross Cultural Perspective.

Meanings of Violence:. Cross Cultural Perspective. Göran Aijmer and Jon Abbink. eds. New York: New York University Press, 2000. 256 pp.     

Global Corner Spotlight: Perspectives on Diabetes Care in Cambodia as Seen Through an Ngo-Run Healthcare System

Abbreviations: CMC = Community Medical Center; SGLT2 = sodium-glucose cotransporter 2; SHCH = Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope     

The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice

The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice. Bradley Levinson. Douglas Foley, and Dorothy Holland, eds. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. 299 pp.     

The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice

The Cultural Production of the Educated Person: Critical Ethnographies of Schooling and Local Practice. Bradley A. Levinson, Douglas E. Foley, and Dorothy C. Holland, eds. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. 338 pp.     

Waorani: The Contexts of Violence and War

Waorani: The Contexts of Violence and War. Clayton Robarchek and Carole Robarchek. Fort Worth, TX: Harcouit Brace College Publishers, 1998. 202 pp.     

The Health of Native Americans: Towards a Biocultural Epidemiology and Aboriginal Health in Canada: Historical, Cultural, and Epidemiological Perspectives

The Health of Native Americans: Towards a Biocultural Epidemiology. T. Kue Young. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994 (cloth), ix + 275 pp.
Aboriginal Health in Canada: Historical, Cultural, and Epidemiological Perspectives. James B. Waldram, D. Ann Herring, and T. Kue Young. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995 (cloth and paper), xii + 334 pp.