Beautiful Justice: The Role of Aesthetic Beauty in Restoring Transcendent Connection
Main Article Content
Keywords
psycho-spirituality and beauty, aesthetics and social justice, arts therapies, beauty and justice, African spirituality, drama therapy, beauty and justice, older women, GBV and apartheid
Abstract
This article seeks to illuminate how colonial and apartheid systems dispossessed people of colour in South Africa of the natural and cultural beauty inherent in their ancestral, socio-cultural and/or lived environments. It underscores how these systems forced people into survival conditions that hindered their capacity to cultivate beauty in their surroundings, cultural practices, and inner lives. Beauty, which often plays a central role in fostering psycho-spiritual development and connection, was systematically disrupted, distorted, and undermined. Within the arts therapies, there lies a unique potential to address these intergenerational disruptions by facilitating experiences of beauty as a pathway to restorative healing and justice.
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References
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Crenshaw, K.W. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of colour. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039
Crenshaw, K. W. (1992). Race, gender, and sexual harassment. Southern California Law Review, 65, 1467–1476.
Deterville, A. D. (2016). African-centered transpersonal self in diaspora and psycho-spiritual wellness: A Sankofa perspective. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 35(1), 118-128. https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2016.35.1.118
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Diessner, R., Pohling, R., Stacy, S., & Güsewell, A. (2018). Trait appreciation of beauty: A story of love, transcendence, and inquiry. Review of General Psychology, 22(4), 377–397. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000166
Fanon, F. (2004). The wretched of the earth (R. Philcox, Trans.). Penguin. (Original work published 1961).
Freire, P. (1972). The pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group.
Grills, C., & Ajei, M. (2002). African-centered conceptualizations of self and consciousness: The Akan model. In T. A. Parham (Ed.), Counseling persons of African descent: Raising the bar of practitioner competence (pp. 75–99). Sage Publications. . https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452229119.n6
Hays, P. A. (2007). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: A framework for clinicians and counselors (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.
Healy-Clancy, M. (2017, June 28). Women and apartheid. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.184
Hightower, J., & Smith, M. J. (2005). Developing support groups for older abused women. BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses.
Hillman, J. (1992). The thought of the heart and the soul of the world. Spring Publications.
Hillman, J. (2006). City & soul (R. J. Leaver, Ed.). Spring Publications.
Howell, B., Diessner, R., & Robinson, R. (2020). Self-actualisation and the tragedy of beauty. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 60(2), 227–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167817696836
Islam, M. S., & Mahmud, R. (2014). The quest for beauty in Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry. Crossings, 4 & 5. https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v4i.338
Jennings, S. (Ed.). (1997). Dramatherapy theory and practice. (Vol. 3). Routledge.
Jones, P. (1996). Drama as therapy: Theatre as living. Routledge.
Jung, C. G. (1958). Psychology and religion: West and East (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1940).
Jung, C. G. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious. Princeton University Press.
Jung, C. J. (1964). Man and his symbols. Aldus Books.
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Kaimal, G., & Arslanbek, A. (2020). Indigenous and traditional visual artistic practices: Implications for art therapy clinical practice and research. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1320. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01320
Kant, I. (2000). Critique of judgment (W. S. Pluhar, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published 1790).
Landy, R. J. (1993). Persona and performance: The meaning of role in drama, therapy, and everyday life. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Lu, L., & Yuen, F. (2012). Journey women: Art therapy in a decolonising framework of practice. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 39(3), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2012.02.009
Malchiodi, C. (Ed.). (2023). Handbook of expressive arts therapy. The Guildford Press.
May, R. (1985). My quest for beauty. Saybrook Publishing Company.
Mbiti, J. S. (1990). African religions and philosophy (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
Menninghaus, W., Wagner, V., Hanich, J., Wassiliwizky, E., Jacobsen, T., & Koelsch, S. (2017). The distancing-embracing model of the enjoyment of negative emotions in art reception. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, e347–e363. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X17000309
Nehamas, A. (2007). Only a promise of happiness: The place of beauty in a world of art. Princeton University Press.
Nwoye, A. (2017). An Africentric theory of human personhood. Psychology in Society, (54), 42-66. https:/doi.org/10.17159/2309-8708/2017/n54a4
Pather, V. (2017). Enrich the narrative, empower the leader. University of Witwatersrand (master’s).
Pendzick, S. (1997). Drama therapy and violence against women. In S. Jennings (Ed.), Drama therapy theory and practice (Vol. 3, pp. 222–233). Routledge.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (Eds.). (2004). Character strengths and virtues. A handbook of classification. American Psychological Association.
SAHistory.org.za. (2021). The Natives Land Act of 1913. Retrieved 2 January 2025 from https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/natives-land-act-1913
Senghor, L. S. (1998). The collected poetry. University of Virginia Press.
Shani, I. (2020). The lure of beauty: Harmony as a conduit of self-transcendence. Journal of East-West Thought, Special Issue: Philosophy of Harmony: East and West, 10(2).
Sonke Gender Justice. (n.d.). Wits-Sonke study reveals alarming levels of men’s violence against women in Diepsloot. Retrieved from https://genderjustice.org.za/news-item/wits-sonke-study-reveals-alarming-levels-mens-violence-women-diepsloot/
South African Government. (2013). 1913 Natives Land Act Centenary. Retrieved 2 January 2025 from https://www.gov.za/news/events/commemorative-events/1913-natives-land-act-centenary
Suzuki, D. T. (1994). Zen and Japanese culture. Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1938).
Talwar, Savneet. (2015). Culture, diversity, and identity: From margins to center. Art Therapy, 32, 100-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2015.1060563
Vaisvaser, S. (2021). The embodied-enactive-interactive brain: Bridging neuroscience and creative arts therapies. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 634079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634079
Vaisvaser, S., King, J. L., Orkibi, H., & Aleem, H. (2024). Neurodynamics of relational aesthetic engagement in creative arts therapies. Review of General Psychology, 28(3), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680241260840
Vega, M. M. (1999). The ancestral sacred creative impulse of Africa and the African diaspora: Ase, the nexus of the Black global aesthetic. Lenox Avenue: A Journal of Interarts Inquiry, 5, 45-57. https://doi.org/10.2307/4177077
Washington, K. (2010). Zulu traditional healing, Afrikan worldview and the practice of Ubuntu: Deep thought for Afrikan/Black psychology. Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(8), 24-39.
Wild, F. (2014, May 7). From Dainfern to Diepsloot: A short trip across South Africa’s wealth gap. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved from https://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-07-from-dainfern-to-diepsloot-a-short-trip-across-south-africas-wealth-gap/
Wilson, K. J. (Ed.). (1997). When violence begins at home. Hunter House.
Woollett, N., Christofides, N., Franchino-Olsen, H., Silima, M., Fouche, A., & Meinck, F. (2023). ‘Through the drawings…they are able to tell you straight’: Using arts-based methods in violence research in South Africa. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(10), e0002209. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002209
Boeree, G. (2006). Erik Erikson personality theories. Shippensburg University Psychology Department. (Original work published 1997).
Bogard, M. (1999). Strengthening domestic violence theories: Intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1999.tb00248.x
Brown University. (2009). Overview of Diepsloot. Retrieved 20 December 2025 from https://s4.ad.brown.edu/Projects/southafrica/Reports/Johannesburg/Diepsloot.pdf
Busika, N. F. (2015). A critical analysis of storytelling as a drama therapy approach among urban South African children, with particular reference to resilience building through Iintsomi. University of Witwatersrand (master’s).
Crenshaw, K.W. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of colour. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039
Crenshaw, K. W. (1992). Race, gender, and sexual harassment. Southern California Law Review, 65, 1467–1476.
Deterville, A. D. (2016). African-centered transpersonal self in diaspora and psycho-spiritual wellness: A Sankofa perspective. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 35(1), 118-128. https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2016.35.1.118
Diepsloot CPF. (2024). Safety strategy. African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum. Retrieved 2 January 2025, from https://apcof.org/wp-content/uploads/diepsloot-safety-strategy-community-safety-plan.pdf
Diessner, R., Pohling, R., Stacy, S., & Güsewell, A. (2018). Trait appreciation of beauty: A story of love, transcendence, and inquiry. Review of General Psychology, 22(4), 377–397. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000166
Fanon, F. (2004). The wretched of the earth (R. Philcox, Trans.). Penguin. (Original work published 1961).
Freire, P. (1972). The pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group.
Grills, C., & Ajei, M. (2002). African-centered conceptualizations of self and consciousness: The Akan model. In T. A. Parham (Ed.), Counseling persons of African descent: Raising the bar of practitioner competence (pp. 75–99). Sage Publications. . https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452229119.n6
Hays, P. A. (2007). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: A framework for clinicians and counselors (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.
Healy-Clancy, M. (2017, June 28). Women and apartheid. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.184
Hightower, J., & Smith, M. J. (2005). Developing support groups for older abused women. BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses.
Hillman, J. (1992). The thought of the heart and the soul of the world. Spring Publications.
Hillman, J. (2006). City & soul (R. J. Leaver, Ed.). Spring Publications.
Howell, B., Diessner, R., & Robinson, R. (2020). Self-actualisation and the tragedy of beauty. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 60(2), 227–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167817696836
Islam, M. S., & Mahmud, R. (2014). The quest for beauty in Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry. Crossings, 4 & 5. https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v4i.338
Jennings, S. (Ed.). (1997). Dramatherapy theory and practice. (Vol. 3). Routledge.
Jones, P. (1996). Drama as therapy: Theatre as living. Routledge.
Jung, C. G. (1958). Psychology and religion: West and East (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1940).
Jung, C. G. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious. Princeton University Press.
Jung, C. J. (1964). Man and his symbols. Aldus Books.
Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences. (n.d.). Speaking in primordial images: Part 1—Jung on creativity and the creative process. Retrieved from https://jungiancenter.org/speaking-in-primordial-images-part-1-jung-on-creativity-and-the-creative-process/
Kaimal, G., & Arslanbek, A. (2020). Indigenous and traditional visual artistic practices: Implications for art therapy clinical practice and research. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1320. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01320
Kant, I. (2000). Critique of judgment (W. S. Pluhar, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published 1790).
Landy, R. J. (1993). Persona and performance: The meaning of role in drama, therapy, and everyday life. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Lu, L., & Yuen, F. (2012). Journey women: Art therapy in a decolonising framework of practice. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 39(3), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2012.02.009
Malchiodi, C. (Ed.). (2023). Handbook of expressive arts therapy. The Guildford Press.
May, R. (1985). My quest for beauty. Saybrook Publishing Company.
Mbiti, J. S. (1990). African religions and philosophy (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
Menninghaus, W., Wagner, V., Hanich, J., Wassiliwizky, E., Jacobsen, T., & Koelsch, S. (2017). The distancing-embracing model of the enjoyment of negative emotions in art reception. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, e347–e363. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X17000309
Nehamas, A. (2007). Only a promise of happiness: The place of beauty in a world of art. Princeton University Press.
Nwoye, A. (2017). An Africentric theory of human personhood. Psychology in Society, (54), 42-66. https:/doi.org/10.17159/2309-8708/2017/n54a4
Pather, V. (2017). Enrich the narrative, empower the leader. University of Witwatersrand (master’s).
Pendzick, S. (1997). Drama therapy and violence against women. In S. Jennings (Ed.), Drama therapy theory and practice (Vol. 3, pp. 222–233). Routledge.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (Eds.). (2004). Character strengths and virtues. A handbook of classification. American Psychological Association.
SAHistory.org.za. (2021). The Natives Land Act of 1913. Retrieved 2 January 2025 from https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/natives-land-act-1913
Senghor, L. S. (1998). The collected poetry. University of Virginia Press.
Shani, I. (2020). The lure of beauty: Harmony as a conduit of self-transcendence. Journal of East-West Thought, Special Issue: Philosophy of Harmony: East and West, 10(2).
Sonke Gender Justice. (n.d.). Wits-Sonke study reveals alarming levels of men’s violence against women in Diepsloot. Retrieved from https://genderjustice.org.za/news-item/wits-sonke-study-reveals-alarming-levels-mens-violence-women-diepsloot/
South African Government. (2013). 1913 Natives Land Act Centenary. Retrieved 2 January 2025 from https://www.gov.za/news/events/commemorative-events/1913-natives-land-act-centenary
Suzuki, D. T. (1994). Zen and Japanese culture. Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1938).
Talwar, Savneet. (2015). Culture, diversity, and identity: From margins to center. Art Therapy, 32, 100-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2015.1060563
Vaisvaser, S. (2021). The embodied-enactive-interactive brain: Bridging neuroscience and creative arts therapies. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 634079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634079
Vaisvaser, S., King, J. L., Orkibi, H., & Aleem, H. (2024). Neurodynamics of relational aesthetic engagement in creative arts therapies. Review of General Psychology, 28(3), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680241260840
Vega, M. M. (1999). The ancestral sacred creative impulse of Africa and the African diaspora: Ase, the nexus of the Black global aesthetic. Lenox Avenue: A Journal of Interarts Inquiry, 5, 45-57. https://doi.org/10.2307/4177077
Washington, K. (2010). Zulu traditional healing, Afrikan worldview and the practice of Ubuntu: Deep thought for Afrikan/Black psychology. Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(8), 24-39.
Wild, F. (2014, May 7). From Dainfern to Diepsloot: A short trip across South Africa’s wealth gap. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved from https://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-07-from-dainfern-to-diepsloot-a-short-trip-across-south-africas-wealth-gap/
Wilson, K. J. (Ed.). (1997). When violence begins at home. Hunter House.
Woollett, N., Christofides, N., Franchino-Olsen, H., Silima, M., Fouche, A., & Meinck, F. (2023). ‘Through the drawings…they are able to tell you straight’: Using arts-based methods in violence research in South Africa. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(10), e0002209. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002209
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Jul 21, 2025
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Beautiful Justice: The Role of Aesthetic Beauty in Restoring Transcendent Connection. (2025). South African Journal of Arts Therapies, 3(1), 48-68. https://doi.org/10.36615/p4qmrt46
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Author Biography
Vasintha Pather, University of the Witwatersrand
Vasintha Pather is an organisational development (OD) practitioner, systemic leadership coach, and registered Drama Therapist. She has over 25 years of experience in OD consulting and more than a decade in coaching and psychotherapy. She collaborates with organisations to deepen cultural wisdom, address systemic trauma, and amplify strengths through integrative approaches combining leadership science with creative, somatic, and narrative methodologies. Her work focuses on supporting leaders to heal developmental and systemic trauma, fostering innovation and resilience. Vasintha is also adjunct faculty at Wits University, UJ and Henley Business School. She is the SANATA representative on the World Alliance of Drama Therapy, and is the founder of the Centre for Gestalt Leadership.
How to Cite
Beautiful Justice: The Role of Aesthetic Beauty in Restoring Transcendent Connection. (2025). South African Journal of Arts Therapies, 3(1), 48-68. https://doi.org/10.36615/p4qmrt46
