On the Legacy of Internal Indigenization Pioneered by Durganand Sinha: Examples from Post-Disaster Spiritual Healing in India

Durganand Sinha’s (1965) article, “Integration of Modern Psychology with Indian Thought” is a cornerstone of the movement of internal indigenization in psychology, that is, to make psychology relevant for people by bringing its concepts, methodology, and research outcomes closer to their everyday life or culture. As his legacy of internal indigenization that constituted a move toward utilizing alternative paradigms as well as Indian spiritual tradition in the study of human well-being or socioreligious healing, we highlight through our qualitative studies how post-disaster healing of survivors in India (Kachchh earthquake, political violence of Nandigram, and partition of India) is anchored on the transcendental or spiritual beliefs and values. Finally, we discuss how his call for internal indigenization forms the foundation for both, understanding the etic features of culturally rooted psychology as well as addressing social issues of inequality and prejudice faced by people in everyday lives as well as post-disaster period.