Mentall illness in the 17th century

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i am looking for informa6tion on why mental illness deprived individuals of their rights in the 17th century. Also why in the 17th century was insanity a social concern

-- Trixy Flopadop (jussiej87@hotmail.com), October 13, 2004

Answers

I'm wondering what sorts of "rights" you think people had in the 17th century. This seems to be a case of serious anachronism (judging the past by the standards of the present). Although the topic of "rights" became important in some political discussions in the 18th century, and there were some important "rights" law cases in the 19th century (especially around the legality of slavery and the political enfranchisement of women), pervasive "rights" discourse is largely an invention of the latter half of the 20th century. Harvard professor Michael Ignatieff has written on this topic quite a bit. You might look at some of his work. Then you might look at the history of psychiatry literature. Much of it is "celebratory" (such as Alexander and Selsnick's book, which seems to be everywhere) and should be read with some caution. There is a great deal of critical material specifically on the 17th century in Foucault's _Madness and Civilization_, but that book has been criticized for some errors, and for presuming that whatever happened in France must have been true of the rest of Europe as well. There is a journal, _History of Psychiatry_, in which you will find the most recent and probably best cholarship in the field. One very good textbook on this general area is Roger Smith's _Fontana (or Norton, depending on where you live) History of the Human Sciences_.

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), October 13, 2004.

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