The Cultural Whys of Mental Retardation: Etiologies among the Asante in Ghana, West Africa

Authors

Chelsea Shields, Brigham Young University
Dr. William C. Olsen, Brigham Young University

Keywords

mental retardation, etiologies, West Africa, Asante, cultural whys

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

During my time as an international student at the University of Ghana and volunteering at a school for mentally handicapped children, I uncovered a large lacuna in non-western mental retardation research and decided to return the next year as BYU’s Ghana Medical Anthropology field study facilitator. I desired to document and disclose Asante beliefs behind mental retardation under the hope that such awareness would lead to more positive treatment of handicapped individuals.

Recommended Citation

Shields, Chelsea and Olsen, Dr. William C. (2013) "The Cultural Whys of Mental Retardation: Etiologies among the Asante in Ghana, West Africa," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 92.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/92