Caste-based Oppression, Trauma and Collective Victimhood in Erstwhile South India: The Collective Therapeutic Potential of Theyyam

Abstract

The decades of collective victimhood and trauma that the oppressed lower caste members in the southern state of India (Kerala) suffered in silence were less known to the world until the socio-religious reform movements offered a space for their collective expression of agitation and unrest. With no socially sanctioned channels to express their injustice and pain, the folk ritual of Theyyam often became the alternative for a cathartic release of transgenerational and collective victimhood and trauma long endured by people belonging to these communities. A common theme of Theyyam discussed in literature is the symbolic meaning of 'empowerment', 'dissent' and 'protest' that Theyyam takes on as the performer embodies a chosen deity. The ritual thereby becomes a temporary outlet for the collective rage, anger and resentment endured by people of the oppressed communities over the years. These insights have implied the healing potential of Theyyam as it offers a safe outlet

Asian Indians in the United States and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Interventions: A Narrative Literature Review

“…Asian Indians have culturally-rooted beliefs about what constitutes a trauma and what causes posttrauma distress; some of these beliefs match Western-based definitions and interpretations. Beyond the traumatic experiences already discussed, Asian Indians attribute the onset or exacerbation of posttrauma distress to additional stressors such as poor physical health, death or disappearance of loved ones, interpersonal problems including family conflicts, collective trauma for lower-caste individuals, immigration-related traumas, lack of basic and financial resources, value-action gap (e.g., engaging in behaviors counter to cultural values such as promiscuity), and lack of academic and professional achievement (Ahammed, 2019; Daga et al, 2020; A. Gilmoor et al, 2020; Housen et al, 2019).…”

“…Asian Indians may also prefer a holistic therapeutic approach for PTSD that adheres to a broader definition of wellness incorporating emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being (Asnaani et al, in press) given the collectivistic nature and religious/spiritual orientation of this community. This holistic approach may include indigenous treatments (yoga), local/communal rituals, Ayurvedic practices, prayer, or seeking help from spiritual healers (Agger et al, 2012; Ahammed, 2019; Housen et al, 2019; Pillaia et al, 2015; Tewary, 2005). Indeed, a study on psychiatric inpatients in India found that 75% of patients sought faith-healing rituals before seeking medical help and found these rituals to be beneficial (Kar, 2008).…”

Psychological Distress in Low-Income and Economically Marginalized Populations in India: Protective and Risk Factors

“…In the present study, close to two thirds of the participants (71% to be precise) belonged to the schedule caste community, and this is a reflection of the uneven distribution of wealth in India [66]. The mental health outcomes of lower caste communities in themselves bring forward staggering results that warrant a community-sensitive approach, taking into account the years of collective trauma [67]. For women, this represents a gendered vulnerability to violence and lower mental health well-being, owing to class and castebased inequalities [32,68] For instance, Prost et al (2012) found that women belonging to schedule tribes or schedule caste backgrounds reported higher psychological stress than higher-caste women [69].…”

‘Invisible Yet Static’: An Analysis of Structural Violence with Reference to Kilvenmani Massacre, India

“…With approximately 35 million women "missing," India has one of the lowest sex ratios in the world. Indian women face outdated and repressive governance structures, an inefficient legal justice system, weak law enforcement, and male-dominated sociopolitical structures (Ahammed, 2019;Anderson & Ray, 2015;Reardon, 1985). Kandasamy's text illustrates the incidents of Tranquebar reeling from the shock of witnessing the sixty-fifth rape in three weeks, the landlords' gang rape of a fourteen-year-old girl, Thangamma, a pregnant woman pummeled by a gang of twenty armed men, and Anju being brutally beaten and torn apart her red blouse, which symbolizes communism and burns it in front of everyone, and Veerapan's young daughter, traumatized by rape, stopped speaking for no apparent reason, women struggle to make a meal out of scraps.…”