Geschichte der Psychiatrie „von unten“

Abstract

The concept of writing medical history “from below” - especially introduced by the British historian Roy Porter in 1985 - has since been adopted by scholars and researchers around the world, including the German-speaking countries. Our article reviews both the reception and implementation of this approach in the German-speaking historiography of psychiatry. We analyze the disciplinary genesis of this field of work, present the major research themes and give three examples to illustrate the use of personal narratives, patient files and visual arts. We will then outline a new option to further develop the approach in the sense of a “social history of user experience” drawing on the principles of inclusion and participation.