History of Madness in the United States.

Catalog description

Study of psychiatric and intellectual disability and its diagnosis and treatment in United States history from colonial times to the present. Emphasizes "madness" as a social and cultural construction and explores how conceptions of madness intersect with historical constructions of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Examines the evolution of psychiatry and therapeutic practices for the treatment of patients, the lived experiences of disabled individuals, disability activism, portrayals of madness in popular culture, and the incarceration of disabled individuals in prisons.