Camille Robcis, "Disalienation: Politics, Philosophy, and Radical Psychiatry in Postwar France" (U Chicago Press, 2021)
New Books in Critical Theory
Deep Dive
What is institutional psychotherapy and how did it emerge in France?
Institutional psychotherapy is a psychiatric practice that emerged in France during World War II, primarily in response to the high death toll in psychiatric institutions. It was developed at Saint-Alban Hospital and focused on rethinking institutions to prevent them from becoming alienating or oppressive. The movement was influenced by social theory and psychoanalysis, particularly the works of Marx and Freud, and aimed to create healing collectives within institutions.
Why was the context of World War II crucial for the development of institutional psychotherapy?
World War II was crucial because the Vichy regime in France allowed 40,000 psychiatric patients to die from neglect, a phenomenon termed 'soft extermination.' This convinced early practitioners that psychiatry was inherently political and needed to address political issues. The war highlighted the need for a psychiatric practice that could adapt to social and political realities, leading to the development of institutional psychotherapy.
How did François Tosquelles contribute to institutional psychotherapy?
François Tosquelles, a key figure in institutional psychotherapy, fought in the Spanish Civil War and later fled to France, where he was placed in a refugee camp. He set up a psychiatric service to treat combatants and refugees, demonstrating the link between politics and psychiatry. His experiences shaped his belief that institutions could be rethought to prevent alienation, influencing the development of institutional psychotherapy at Saint-Alban Hospital.
What role did Frantz Fanon play in institutional psychotherapy?
Frantz Fanon worked at Saint-Alban Hospital and later implemented institutional psychotherapy techniques in Algeria. Initially, these techniques failed with Muslim men, leading Fanon to adapt them to the local social context. This experience deepened his understanding of the relationship between social conditions and mental health, making him a key figure in the deterritorialization of institutional psychotherapy.
How did Michel Foucault engage with institutional psychotherapy?
Michel Foucault engaged with institutional psychotherapy through his early psychiatric writings and his critical stance on psychiatry. While he was not a practitioner, his work, particularly 'History of Madness,' influenced institutional psychotherapists by highlighting the political nature of psychiatry. However, Foucault's later critiques of institutions and his alignment with anti-psychiatry movements created a complex relationship with the field.
What contemporary relevance does institutional psychotherapy hold?
Institutional psychotherapy offers insights into contemporary movements like Occupy and anti-austerity protests by emphasizing the role of the unconscious in group formations and the collective dimensions of individual development. It also provides a framework for understanding authoritarianism and the libidinal aspects of politics, making it relevant in analyzing phenomena like Trumpism and other authoritarian movements.
How did the spatial logic of institutions influence institutional psychotherapy?
The spatial logic of institutions, such as camps, asylums, and hospitals, was central to institutional psychotherapy. Practitioners like Tosquelles and Fanon focused on how physical spaces could produce alienation or healing. At Saint-Alban, walls were torn down to integrate the hospital with the community, fostering a healing collective. This approach aimed to counteract the oppressive effects of carceral environments.
- Institutional psychotherapy emerged as a response to high death tolls in French psychiatric institutions during WWII.
- It views institutions as potentially alienating and seeks to reform them using social theory and psychoanalysis.
- It aims to systematically critique authoritarianism within psychiatry.
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