Power and the Language(ing) of Care

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The focus of this seminar is to look at the intersection of arts and community health while deepening our understanding of the role that the factors of social location and language/languaging play in accessibility to health outcomes and resources.

Most Creative Arts Therapists in India come from upper caste/class urban backgrounds and are trained in the frames/models of psychotherapy established in Europe and North America. By contrast, there is much greater diversity in backgrounds and training among community arts practitioners and anti oppression oriented artists in the country. Many of these practitioners do profound work in this intersection of the arts and health.

In this seminar, we expand our lens beyond the therapy paradigm to orient to the goals of promoting health (mental, physical and social) with art as the context and methodology. We assert that the reproduction of existing social hierarchies and power dynamics are contrary to the goal of promoting health. Anchored in the decolonizing and anti-oppression paradigm, we spotlight the issues of social location (possession of power) and language/languageing of care (practice of power) as two central factors of consideration. We then grapple together about how these dynamics implicit in the work can be mediated/negotiated.

Dr Maitri Gopalakrishna
PhD, RDT, is a drama therapist, counselling psychologist and practice researcher. She is based in Bangalore.

Devika Mehta Kadam
PhD candidate, RDMT, is dance movement therapist, clinical psychologist and researcher. She is based in Mumbai.

Part of the seminar series, The Spaces Between: Equity, Voice, Agency and Care Practices Involving the Arts and Arts Therapies

Photo by Kaz Madigan