Madness in Australia: Histories, Heritage and the Asylum

By: Catharine Coleborne

These essays on the histories of asylum and 'madness' in Australia form the first interdisciplinary collection of its kind in Australia. The book reflects the development of ideas about Australian constructions of 'madness' and ongoing debates about psychiatry and mental health. Covering the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century, the essays discuss the history of the asylum system in different colonies; patient histories; cultures of work, gender and 'race' within the asylum; spatial constructions of 'madness'; recreation and therapies used in institutions; medical records; cultural heritage and policy issues in the reuse of former asylum buildings, as well as archives; and the display of psychiatric histories in museums.Contributions explore the intellectual frameworks offered by archaeology, art history, cultural heritage, gender studies, history, legal issues, medical history, occupational therapies, ethics, mental illness and the law, investigative journalism, sexuality, museum studies, and archives and records management. This collection will interest historians and practitioners in the fields of heritage, museum studies, legal history, medical history, psychiatry, medical ethics, cultural studies and beyond.The perspectives offered in this collection are diverse and groundbreaking at a national and international level of scholarship, reflecting existing research trends as well as new directions in the field.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0702234060
• ISBN13: 9780702234064
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: University of Queensland Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"