Mass fainting in garment factories in Cambodia.
Transcultural psychiatry April 1, 2017 Maurice Eisenbruch 32 citations
Mass fainting among garment factory workers in Cambodia is often rooted in cultural beliefs about spirits and historical trauma. An ethnographic study conducted from 2010 to 2015 across 48 factories found that episodes occurred at 34 factories, with 9 triggered by spirit possession. Workers and others attributed fainting to ill-health, toxins, and supernatural causes, including ghosts connected to Khmer Rouge atrocities or fatal accidents, and retaliating guardian spirits angered by foreign ownership. Prefigurative dreams, accidents, or a coworker's possession preceded episodes; witnessing a coworker faint caused fear and fainting in others. Monks performed rituals to appease spirits and prevent recurrence, revealing how cultural motifs of fear, protest, and historical legacy make the phenomenon understandable.