Meaning, Madness and Political Subjectivity: A Study of Schizophrenia and Culture in Turkey

by Sadeq Rahimi

This book explores the relationship between subjective experience and the cultural, political and historical paradigms in which the individual is embedded. Offering a deep analysis of three compelling case studies of schizophrenia in Turkey, the book considers the ways in which private experience is shaped by collective structures, and offers insights into issues surrounding religion, national and ethnic identity and tensions, modernity and tradition, madness, gender and individuality. By investigating the connection between psychotic illness and cultural content and patterns, a universal meaning-based model is developed for examining culture and psychosis as interfused processes.

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2015