The hermeneutics of recovery: Facilitating dialogue between African and Western mental health frameworks

The widespread use of faith-based and traditional healing for mental disorders within African contexts is well known. However, normative responses tend to fall two camps: on one hand, those oriented towards the biomedical model psychiatry stress abuses superstition such healing, whilst critics adopting a more ‘local’ perspective have fundamentally challenged universalist claims diagnostic categories psychiatric treatments. What seemingly emerges dichotomy between who endorse ‘universalist’ or ‘relativist’ approaches as an analytical lens challenges diverse strands contexts. In this article, we draw upon resources philosophy existing empirical work challenge notion that constructive dialogue cannot be had incommensurable practices in global health. First, suggest need much-needed conceptual clarity explore hermeneutics meaning, practice, understanding, order forge pathways values schemas around disorder healing. Second, contextualise complex motives emphasise difference amongst health practitioners competitive economy. Finally, appeal recovery discovery fruitful framework which incorporates dialogue, comparative evaluation, cross-cultural enrichment across divergent conceptualisations