'History of Psychiatry: Power, Madness and Science' Cultural Workshop *NEW*
29 September 2026 – 1 December 2026 · 19:30
Centre Cultural La Casa Elizalde, la Dreta de l'Eixample, Eixample
Teacher: Violeta Ruíz. We will take a historical and critical journey through the formation and transformation of psychiatry from the late 18th century to the present. From historical, social and cultural perspectives, we will analyse how the category of “mental disorder” was constructed, how modern psychiatric institutions emerged, and how different political, scientific and economic contexts shaped ways of understanding and treating psychological suffering. We will explore the tensions, debates and controversies that accompanied the discipline's development: from moral treatment and asylums to the rise of neurology, psychoanalysis, psychopharmacology and 20th-century anti-psychiatry critiques. We will understand psychiatry not only as a medical discipline, but also as a social, cultural and political practice that has actively participated in defining normality, deviance and modern subjectivity.
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 8 September 2026