Transnational Feminisms and Psychologies: Selves, Suffering, and Moral Personhood in Sri Lanka

Abstract Drawing from a larger study of non fatal suicidal behavior in Sri Lanka, we examine the narratives of two young women and their mothers following the daughter’s suicide-like act. These accounts offer insights into how the moral person is constructed in Sri Lanka and, particularly, what it means to be a good daughter and a good woman in Sri Lanka. We reflect on the implications that radically different conceptions of the self and personhood have for construing mental health and wellbeing outside a Western psychological framework. We also examine briefly how such conceptions of self and personhood have shaped feminisms in different locales.