Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review

The 19th and early 20th centuries were, for English-speaking Western nations, marked by calamitous change. Among those changes was the way in which Western society handled and treated people who suffered from mental illness, the “mad” as it were. The insane asylum, a peculiar outcropping of culture...

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Main Author: Charlie Deitz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), College of Communication and Public Relations, Bucharest 2021-04-01
Series:Romanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/319
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author Charlie Deitz
author_facet Charlie Deitz
author_sort Charlie Deitz
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description The 19th and early 20th centuries were, for English-speaking Western nations, marked by calamitous change. Among those changes was the way in which Western society handled and treated people who suffered from mental illness, the “mad” as it were. The insane asylum, a peculiar outcropping of culture that combined Christian saviorism with the nascent field of psychiatry, became the go-to vehicle for the care and maintenance of suffering patients. The institution gained such a foothold in society that every American state had at least one asylum, and many had several. After just a few decades, the insane asylum was one of the most powerful institutions in the West. The speed at which the insane asylum embedded itself in culture at such a profound depth was astounding. Scholars have recently been exploring this institution to deconstruct and explain the meteoric rise and fall of such a behemoth. This review will distill and evaluate one such crucial piece of literature to be added to the index of scholarship on the topic.
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spelling doaj.art-f3ef4fa3f01e472c9d34d0cb4386c14c2023-12-22T01:02:11ZengNational University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), College of Communication and Public Relations, BucharestRomanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations1454-81002344-54402021-04-0123110.21018/rjcpr.2021.1.319319Living Documents: A Textual Analysis ReviewCharlie Deitz0University of Oregon The 19th and early 20th centuries were, for English-speaking Western nations, marked by calamitous change. Among those changes was the way in which Western society handled and treated people who suffered from mental illness, the “mad” as it were. The insane asylum, a peculiar outcropping of culture that combined Christian saviorism with the nascent field of psychiatry, became the go-to vehicle for the care and maintenance of suffering patients. The institution gained such a foothold in society that every American state had at least one asylum, and many had several. After just a few decades, the insane asylum was one of the most powerful institutions in the West. The speed at which the insane asylum embedded itself in culture at such a profound depth was astounding. Scholars have recently been exploring this institution to deconstruct and explain the meteoric rise and fall of such a behemoth. This review will distill and evaluate one such crucial piece of literature to be added to the index of scholarship on the topic. https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/319Diagnosing Madness: The Discursive Construction of the Psychiatric PatientCristina Hanganu-BreschCarol Berkenkotter
spellingShingle Charlie Deitz
Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
Romanian Journal of Communications and Public Relations
Diagnosing Madness: The Discursive Construction of the Psychiatric Patient
Cristina Hanganu-Bresch
Carol Berkenkotter
title Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
title_full Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
title_fullStr Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
title_full_unstemmed Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
title_short Living Documents: A Textual Analysis Review
title_sort living documents a textual analysis review
topic Diagnosing Madness: The Discursive Construction of the Psychiatric Patient
Cristina Hanganu-Bresch
Carol Berkenkotter
url https://journalofcommunication.ro/index.php/journalofcommunication/article/view/319
work_keys_str_mv AT charliedeitz livingdocumentsatextualanalysisreview