
Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.
Psyche on the Skin: A History of Self-harm
Sarah Chaney
€ 33.57
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for Psyche on the Skin: A History of Self-harm
Hardback. Psyche on the Skin charts the secret history of self-harm. This book describes its many forms, from sexual self-mutilation and hysterical malingering in the late Victorian period, to self-castrating religious sects, to self-mutilation and self-destruction in art, music and popular culture. Num Pages: 288 pages, 55 black and white. BIC Classification: JMP; MMJ. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 246 x 166 x 34. Weight in Grams: 660.
Self-harm is thought by many to be a modern epidemic: a phenomenon of the late twentieth century, a symptom of extreme emotional turmoil in young people, particularly young women. Yet it was 150 years ago, within early asylum psychiatry, that self-mutilation was first codified as a category of behaviour, and explanations for a variety of self-injurious acts were conceived very differently. Psyche on the Skin charts the secret history of self-harm. The book describes its many forms, from sexual self-mutilation and hysterical malingering in the late Victorian period, to self-castrating religious sects, to self-mutilation and self-destruction in art, music and popular culture. Sarah Chaney's refreshing historical approach refutes the notion that self-harm has any universal meaning - that it necessarily says something specific about an individual or group, or that it can ever be understood outside the historical and cultural context of a particular era. Drawing on her personal experiences, written in an engaging style and containing many powerful images, Psyche on the Skin challenges the misconceptions and controversies surrounding self-harm.The book is crucial reading for professionals in the field as well as all those affected by this act.
Product Details
Publisher
Reaktion Books
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2017
Condition
New
Number of Pages
320
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781780237503
SKU
V9781780237503
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Sarah Chaney
Sarah Chaney is a Research Associate at UCL Health Humanities Centre, and Research Project Manager at Queen Mary Centre for the History of Emotions, University of London.
Reviews for Psyche on the Skin: A History of Self-harm
'Eloquent, awe-inspiring, and sassy. This book will captivate anyone curious about the body and pain.' - Joanna Bourke; 'A remarkable account from the pen of a young and brilliant scholar of the history and meaning of self-harm. Insightful and immensely readable.' - Sander L. Gilman, Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University and author of Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery