Our Glasgow medical humanities discussion group meets regularly throughout the year. In the academic year 2016-2017, this group is organised and convened by Dr Cheryl McGeachan, a Lecturer in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences. The discussion group is a forum for work-in-progress presentations and friendly discussion. All are welcome. If you would like further information, or to propose a paper, please contact Cheryl.
The meetings will all take place between 1-2pm in Room 311 in the East Quadrangle, in the Main Building at Glasgow University. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be provided.
Directions as follows:
Please enter through the first turret:
And walk upstairs (a lift is available if required to the right of this picture).
We are very pleased to announce the times and topics for this Semester’s presentations:
Wednesday 26th October
Session 1 – ‘Shakespeare and Madness: dramaturgies of mental illness in early modern England’, Molly Ziegler (PhD Candidate in Theatre Studies)
As part of my PhD research on madness in Shakespearean performance, this presentation examines dramaturgical approaches to representing insanity in Shakespeare’s plays. This involves an analysis of key trends in structure, style and character within both his comedic and tragic works. In doing so, I hope to explore how such patterns help construct meanings of madness by fitting into and/or challenging early modern psychological discourses.
Wednesday 16th November
Session 2 – Discovering Medical Humanities collections, staff from Archives and Special Collections, University of Glasgow
How effectively are we promoting the University’s medical humanities collections? How easy are they to discover? Archives & Special Collections staff are keen to hear your thoughts as we review and revise online information about the University’s unique and distinctive research resources.
Wednesday 30th November
Session 3 – The Psychopolitics of Surplus Populations, Dr Ian Shaw (School of Geographical & Earth Sciences)
In this talk I want to re-examine Karl Marx’s classic concept of “surplus population” in light of contemporary mental health insecurities. Doing so, I suggest, allows us to connect political economy with the very real psychological issues a growing number of people face on a daily basis. In this sense, the idea of alienation – critiques notwithstanding – might yet prove a (global) rallying concept at our dangerous conjecture.