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eBook
American literature and therapeutic cultures
Manning, Nicholas; Halliwell, Martin
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 255 Pages
Traces the evolving relationship between American literature and therapeutic cultures across the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries
Highlights the ongoing dialogue between literature and therapeutic cultures throughout modern and contemporary American literary history
Shows how American literary texts both reflect and challenge therapeutic practices and ideologies
Moves beyond simplistic views of literature’s relationship with psychology to reveal complex interdisciplinary interactions
Explores the hazards and benefits of literature’s role as a restorative tool for the self that have become widespread in neoliberal societies
Addresses how Black and women authors in particular critically engage with the therapeutic literary space
This volume explores the myriad interactions between American literature and psychological discourses in the United States, from self-help to alternative health practices to psychotherapeutic approaches. Spanning the 1940s to the 2020s, it sheds light on the development and conceptualization of therapeutic culture during a century in which it has oscillated between clinical and cultural domains. Bringing together an intergenerational group of scholars from France, the UK and the US, the collection examines authors as varied as William Carlos Williams, Lionel Trilling, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth, Colson Whitehead, Daniel Suarez and Ottessa Moshfegh. Moving beyond the conventional focus on psychoanalysis, the eleven contributors foreground how American literature is animated by broader therapeutic modes and trajectories. At stake are not only literature’s historical links to psychological theories and institutions, but the neoliberal framing of literary texts as tools for personal restoration.
Manning, Nicholas; Halliwell, Martin
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 255 Pages
Traces the evolving relationship between American literature and therapeutic cultures across the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries
Highlights the ongoing dialogue between literature and therapeutic cultures throughout modern and contemporary American literary history
Shows how American literary texts both reflect and challenge therapeutic practices and ideologies
Moves beyond simplistic views of literature’s relationship with psychology to reveal complex interdisciplinary interactions
Explores the hazards and benefits of literature’s role as a restorative tool for the self that have become widespread in neoliberal societies
Addresses how Black and women authors in particular critically engage with the therapeutic literary space
This volume explores the myriad interactions between American literature and psychological discourses in the United States, from self-help to alternative health practices to psychotherapeutic approaches. Spanning the 1940s to the 2020s, it sheds light on the development and conceptualization of therapeutic culture during a century in which it has oscillated between clinical and cultural domains. Bringing together an intergenerational group of scholars from France, the UK and the US, the collection examines authors as varied as William Carlos Williams, Lionel Trilling, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth, Colson Whitehead, Daniel Suarez and Ottessa Moshfegh. Moving beyond the conventional focus on psychoanalysis, the eleven contributors foreground how American literature is animated by broader therapeutic modes and trajectories. At stake are not only literature’s historical links to psychological theories and institutions, but the neoliberal framing of literary texts as tools for personal restoration.
eBook
Joseph Conrad and the arts of his time
Hampson, Robert
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 271 Pages
This volume is the product of new research on Conrad’s engagement with the arts during his lifetime.
Beginning with nineteenth-century Polish landscape painting and Polish theatre, the essays move through music and the performing arts during Conrad’s time in Marseilles; the opera Conrad encountered in Australia; and Conrad’s later-life knowledge of recent and contemporary classical music.
Subsequent essays demonstrate his familiarity with contemporary visual art (particularly through his friendships with various artists in London); his interest in dance; and his active involvement in contemporary theatre and screen-writing.
The volume concludes with a discussion of Conrad’s art as a novelist and playwright, his ‘theatrical imagination’, in relation to developments in theatre theory of the time.
Hampson, Robert
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 271 Pages
This volume is the product of new research on Conrad’s engagement with the arts during his lifetime.
Beginning with nineteenth-century Polish landscape painting and Polish theatre, the essays move through music and the performing arts during Conrad’s time in Marseilles; the opera Conrad encountered in Australia; and Conrad’s later-life knowledge of recent and contemporary classical music.
Subsequent essays demonstrate his familiarity with contemporary visual art (particularly through his friendships with various artists in London); his interest in dance; and his active involvement in contemporary theatre and screen-writing.
The volume concludes with a discussion of Conrad’s art as a novelist and playwright, his ‘theatrical imagination’, in relation to developments in theatre theory of the time.
eBook
Theory of strangers: science of people, democracy, non-psychoanalysis
Laruelle, François; Smith, Jeremy R.
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 303 Pages
A keystone work within Laruelle’s body of work, which highlights major themes around democracy, human identity and the critique of the judgement of humanity
Introduces and provides a basis for understanding the links between non-humanism, democracy and non-psychoanalysis
Serves as a keystone text in Laruelle’s overall corpus
Opens new lines of inquiry into the theory of non-philosophy and its relationship with the humanities, political philosophy and psychoanalysis
Originally published in 1995, this book constitutes a turning point in the development of what François Laruelle calls non-philosophy, towards its democratic and emancipatory vision. In this work, Laruelle utilises his non-philosophical theory to develop unified theoretical analyses into philosophy’s relationship with the humanities, politics and psychoanalysis.
Centred on the figure of the Stranger, he argues for a democratic reformation of thought governed by human multitudes. The new field of thought is opened by this Universal Humanity, identified with three different pathways: a science of people and non-humanism, democracy and non-politics, and non-psychoanalysis as the development of a Universal Unconscious.
Laruelle, François; Smith, Jeremy R.
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 303 Pages
A keystone work within Laruelle’s body of work, which highlights major themes around democracy, human identity and the critique of the judgement of humanity
Introduces and provides a basis for understanding the links between non-humanism, democracy and non-psychoanalysis
Serves as a keystone text in Laruelle’s overall corpus
Opens new lines of inquiry into the theory of non-philosophy and its relationship with the humanities, political philosophy and psychoanalysis
Originally published in 1995, this book constitutes a turning point in the development of what François Laruelle calls non-philosophy, towards its democratic and emancipatory vision. In this work, Laruelle utilises his non-philosophical theory to develop unified theoretical analyses into philosophy’s relationship with the humanities, politics and psychoanalysis.
Centred on the figure of the Stranger, he argues for a democratic reformation of thought governed by human multitudes. The new field of thought is opened by this Universal Humanity, identified with three different pathways: a science of people and non-humanism, democracy and non-politics, and non-psychoanalysis as the development of a Universal Unconscious.
eBook
Artificial fiction: imagining literary possibility beyond the human
Rando, David P.
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 144 Pages
Imagines great artificial fiction that represents the world in creatively nonhuman ways while challenging how we define and value fiction itself
Speculates about the nature and future of fiction in a way that is rooted in creative possibility within a more-than-human world
Imagines new realisms, new modernisms, and new genres that present nonhuman epistemologies, pleasures, and experiences
Fosters a productive sense of non-human-centeredness in all aspects of fiction, from ideas about authorship and composition to those about reception, interpretation, and value
Offers fresh readings of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Jazz, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Cervantes’s Don Quixote, Bohumil Hrabal’s All My Cats, Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and the Man Disputing,” Clarice Lispector’s short story, “The Fifth Story,” and Jean Paul’s The Life of the Cheerful Little Schoolmaster Maria Wutz
Artificial Fiction: Imagining Literary Possibility Beyond the Human dreams boldly about literary possibility in this moment of AI’s technological and social immaturity. Through the wishful image of artificial fiction, this book explores the potential of new realisms, new modernisms and new genres that present new epistemologies, new ontologies and new pleasures and experiences for readers. While helping us to recognise and reimagine human-centredness in literary theory and practice, this book also 'looks back' at human fiction as a genre to consider what is distinctive and valuable about it, demonstrating that human fiction and artificial fiction have roles to play in imagining and learning to respect lives and experiences of every variety.
Rando, David P.
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 144 Pages
Imagines great artificial fiction that represents the world in creatively nonhuman ways while challenging how we define and value fiction itself
Speculates about the nature and future of fiction in a way that is rooted in creative possibility within a more-than-human world
Imagines new realisms, new modernisms, and new genres that present nonhuman epistemologies, pleasures, and experiences
Fosters a productive sense of non-human-centeredness in all aspects of fiction, from ideas about authorship and composition to those about reception, interpretation, and value
Offers fresh readings of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Jazz, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Cervantes’s Don Quixote, Bohumil Hrabal’s All My Cats, Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and the Man Disputing,” Clarice Lispector’s short story, “The Fifth Story,” and Jean Paul’s The Life of the Cheerful Little Schoolmaster Maria Wutz
Artificial Fiction: Imagining Literary Possibility Beyond the Human dreams boldly about literary possibility in this moment of AI’s technological and social immaturity. Through the wishful image of artificial fiction, this book explores the potential of new realisms, new modernisms and new genres that present new epistemologies, new ontologies and new pleasures and experiences for readers. While helping us to recognise and reimagine human-centredness in literary theory and practice, this book also 'looks back' at human fiction as a genre to consider what is distinctive and valuable about it, demonstrating that human fiction and artificial fiction have roles to play in imagining and learning to respect lives and experiences of every variety.
eBook
Perpetrators in documentaries on genocide
Koch, Julian
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 306 Pages
Analyses documentary representations of perpetrators and discusses why these representations matter
First book to compare the representation of perpetrators and perpetration across seven genocides on three continents in the twentieth century
Discusses and analyses trends and developments in documentaries on genocide based on over two hundred films
Uses interdisciplinary methods including film analysis, filmmaker interviews, historical analysis and distant reading
Grounded in deep historical knowledge enabling an understanding of how documentaries represent the realities of genocide and its aftermath but also what is missing from these representations
Provides a framework on how documentaries do and should engage perpetrators of mass violence
Documentaries are the most common film genre representing genocide and thus significantly shape public understanding of the subject.
Perpetrators in Documentaries on Genocide is a wide-ranging comparative study that analyses how numerous genocides and their perpetrators have been presented in documentary film. Spanning seven 20th-century genocides across three continents and combining interviews with filmmakers, distant reading, content analysis, and historical research, this book tracks the multifaceted representational strategies of over 200 films.
Addressing both the local and global contexts impacting their production, the book finds that the socio-political circumstances in the aftermath of genocide, but also the concept of genocide itself, enormously shape the representation of perpetrator groups and their victims. This book highlights and critiques dominant trends in documentary representation, proposing a broader and methodologically innovative approach to studying the depiction of atrocities that provides an encompassing framework for understanding genocide documentaries.
Koch, Julian
Edinburgh University Press
, 2026
; English
; 306 Pages
Analyses documentary representations of perpetrators and discusses why these representations matter
First book to compare the representation of perpetrators and perpetration across seven genocides on three continents in the twentieth century
Discusses and analyses trends and developments in documentaries on genocide based on over two hundred films
Uses interdisciplinary methods including film analysis, filmmaker interviews, historical analysis and distant reading
Grounded in deep historical knowledge enabling an understanding of how documentaries represent the realities of genocide and its aftermath but also what is missing from these representations
Provides a framework on how documentaries do and should engage perpetrators of mass violence
Documentaries are the most common film genre representing genocide and thus significantly shape public understanding of the subject.
Perpetrators in Documentaries on Genocide is a wide-ranging comparative study that analyses how numerous genocides and their perpetrators have been presented in documentary film. Spanning seven 20th-century genocides across three continents and combining interviews with filmmakers, distant reading, content analysis, and historical research, this book tracks the multifaceted representational strategies of over 200 films.
Addressing both the local and global contexts impacting their production, the book finds that the socio-political circumstances in the aftermath of genocide, but also the concept of genocide itself, enormously shape the representation of perpetrator groups and their victims. This book highlights and critiques dominant trends in documentary representation, proposing a broader and methodologically innovative approach to studying the depiction of atrocities that provides an encompassing framework for understanding genocide documentaries.
eBook
Masuya, Tomoko; Otsuka, Osamu; Kawamoto, Masatomo
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 473 Pages
Examines how world histories were produced in Ilkhanid and Timurid Iran
Presents Japanese scholarship on mediaeval manuscripts of histories written in Persian
Analyses histories written in West Asia from an East Asian perspective
Addresses authorship and methodology questions arising from different text versions through a comparative analysis of a number of manuscripts
Catalogues the extant corpus of universal history works written in Persian
Utilises a range of approaches from codicology and historiography to art history
This collection of essays brings together codicological, historiographical and art-historical studies of Medieval Persian history manuscripts. The main subject is Rashīd al-Dīn’s Jāmiʿ al-tavārīkh (Compendium of Chronicles). Considered the first ‘world history’, it was originally written in Persian in the early fourteenth century, when vast areas of the Eurasian continent were under Mongol rule. There is also a particular focus on Persian manuscripts preserved in India, which have heretofore been largely ignored. Though developed and sophisticated, Japanese studies on the Jāmiʿ al-tavārīkh remain mostly unknown outside of Japan due to the language barrier. In this volume, Japanese scholars offer their East Asian perspective on this and other West Asian histories for the first time in English, using not only Persian but also Chinese and Sanskrit sources.
Through a comparative analysis of a number of manuscripts, the volume tackles various questions concerning the production of texts during the Ilkhanid and Timurid periods. It reveals valuable clues regarding the sources used in historical writings, the process of writing, revising and illustrating the manuscripts, and the production of copies and recensions in the Persianate realms under Mongol rule.
Masuya, Tomoko; Otsuka, Osamu; Kawamoto, Masatomo
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 473 Pages
Examines how world histories were produced in Ilkhanid and Timurid Iran
Presents Japanese scholarship on mediaeval manuscripts of histories written in Persian
Analyses histories written in West Asia from an East Asian perspective
Addresses authorship and methodology questions arising from different text versions through a comparative analysis of a number of manuscripts
Catalogues the extant corpus of universal history works written in Persian
Utilises a range of approaches from codicology and historiography to art history
This collection of essays brings together codicological, historiographical and art-historical studies of Medieval Persian history manuscripts. The main subject is Rashīd al-Dīn’s Jāmiʿ al-tavārīkh (Compendium of Chronicles). Considered the first ‘world history’, it was originally written in Persian in the early fourteenth century, when vast areas of the Eurasian continent were under Mongol rule. There is also a particular focus on Persian manuscripts preserved in India, which have heretofore been largely ignored. Though developed and sophisticated, Japanese studies on the Jāmiʿ al-tavārīkh remain mostly unknown outside of Japan due to the language barrier. In this volume, Japanese scholars offer their East Asian perspective on this and other West Asian histories for the first time in English, using not only Persian but also Chinese and Sanskrit sources.
Through a comparative analysis of a number of manuscripts, the volume tackles various questions concerning the production of texts during the Ilkhanid and Timurid periods. It reveals valuable clues regarding the sources used in historical writings, the process of writing, revising and illustrating the manuscripts, and the production of copies and recensions in the Persianate realms under Mongol rule.
eBook
The lives of Roman freedwomen in the Latin West: an epigraphic study
Sandon, Tatjana
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 305 Pages
An epigraphic analysis of the lives of female ex-slaves in the west of the Roman Empire
Investigates the lives of freedwomen, i.e. women who experienced what in Roman society was a double drawback – that is being both female and formerly enslaved
Is based on the analysis of a vast sample of Latin inscriptions (almost 10,000) from the city of Rome, Italy and the western provinces
Privileges the point of view of the women themselves, analysed through the information available from the epigraphic texts commissioned by themselves or those close to them, rather than from the literary sources written by elite male authors
The book investigates the lives of libertae, i.e. female ex-slaves, in the western part of the Roman Empire, by analysing the inscriptional evidence left behind by these women and those close to them. The study considers the freedwomen both inside and outside the domestic environment, looking at libertae not only as former slaves, but also as wives and mothers, workers, labourers, service providers and professionals, besides their wider roles as members of their communities. The innovative aspect of this study is the choice of rigorously giving centre stage to epigraphic documents, rather than the well-known literary texts. This approach is essential to foreground the freedwomen’s point of view, in place of the perspective of the elite male authors that has however hitherto been given priority in the modern discussion of Roman freedpersons. The analysed sample, nearly 10,000 inscriptions, includes texts from every area of the western Roman Empire: this large data pool allows wide-reaching detailed qualitative analysis as well as quantitative comparisons, enabling moreover highly differentiated insights into the similarities and differences that existed for libertae across the Empire.
Sandon, Tatjana
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 305 Pages
An epigraphic analysis of the lives of female ex-slaves in the west of the Roman Empire
Investigates the lives of freedwomen, i.e. women who experienced what in Roman society was a double drawback – that is being both female and formerly enslaved
Is based on the analysis of a vast sample of Latin inscriptions (almost 10,000) from the city of Rome, Italy and the western provinces
Privileges the point of view of the women themselves, analysed through the information available from the epigraphic texts commissioned by themselves or those close to them, rather than from the literary sources written by elite male authors
The book investigates the lives of libertae, i.e. female ex-slaves, in the western part of the Roman Empire, by analysing the inscriptional evidence left behind by these women and those close to them. The study considers the freedwomen both inside and outside the domestic environment, looking at libertae not only as former slaves, but also as wives and mothers, workers, labourers, service providers and professionals, besides their wider roles as members of their communities. The innovative aspect of this study is the choice of rigorously giving centre stage to epigraphic documents, rather than the well-known literary texts. This approach is essential to foreground the freedwomen’s point of view, in place of the perspective of the elite male authors that has however hitherto been given priority in the modern discussion of Roman freedpersons. The analysed sample, nearly 10,000 inscriptions, includes texts from every area of the western Roman Empire: this large data pool allows wide-reaching detailed qualitative analysis as well as quantitative comparisons, enabling moreover highly differentiated insights into the similarities and differences that existed for libertae across the Empire.
eBook
Democracy redefined: Michel Chiha and the lebanese constitution
Mallat, Chibli
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 414 Pages
Presents a radically new definition of majoritarian democracy
Redefines democracy as the effective representation of members of historically subordinate groups
Brings together several disciplines, including history, law, political science and political philosophy in a challenge to the received view of majoritarian democracy
Investigates Lebanese and Middle Eastern constitutionalism since the 17th century, including newly researched archives
Provides a detailed analysis of the genesis of the Lebanese Constitution of 1926 through unprecedented access to the archives of its main drafter, Michel Chiha
Develops a comparative and theoretical investigation of democracy in the light of the tension between its majoritarian essence and the effective representation of members of historically subordinate groups
At a time when democratic government is under attack, Chibli Mallat offers a new definition of democracy: the necessary representation in government of citizens as 'members of historically subordinate groups', a concept first opened up by Michel Chiha (1891-1954) during his drafting of the Lebanese Constitution of 1926.
The book rests on two main research pillars: the first is a detailed historical and institutional examination of Levantine and Lebanese institutions, drawing on dozens of 19th and 20th century documents, including Chiha’s constitutional papers. With unprecedented access to the Chiha Archive, Mallat constructs a world vision of Chiha through his writings and political positions which act as the background to his constitutional contributions. The second pillar examines the success and failures of an enduring Lebanese Constitution to advance this radically new view of majoritarian democracy, based on extensive research in political science and in constitutional law.
Mallat, Chibli
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 414 Pages
Presents a radically new definition of majoritarian democracy
Redefines democracy as the effective representation of members of historically subordinate groups
Brings together several disciplines, including history, law, political science and political philosophy in a challenge to the received view of majoritarian democracy
Investigates Lebanese and Middle Eastern constitutionalism since the 17th century, including newly researched archives
Provides a detailed analysis of the genesis of the Lebanese Constitution of 1926 through unprecedented access to the archives of its main drafter, Michel Chiha
Develops a comparative and theoretical investigation of democracy in the light of the tension between its majoritarian essence and the effective representation of members of historically subordinate groups
At a time when democratic government is under attack, Chibli Mallat offers a new definition of democracy: the necessary representation in government of citizens as 'members of historically subordinate groups', a concept first opened up by Michel Chiha (1891-1954) during his drafting of the Lebanese Constitution of 1926.
The book rests on two main research pillars: the first is a detailed historical and institutional examination of Levantine and Lebanese institutions, drawing on dozens of 19th and 20th century documents, including Chiha’s constitutional papers. With unprecedented access to the Chiha Archive, Mallat constructs a world vision of Chiha through his writings and political positions which act as the background to his constitutional contributions. The second pillar examines the success and failures of an enduring Lebanese Constitution to advance this radically new view of majoritarian democracy, based on extensive research in political science and in constitutional law.
eBook
Milton and the network of disability, embodiment and care
Duran, Angelica; Toscano, Pasquale
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 298 Pages
Situates the works, legend and reception of the Renaissance poet and politician John Milton within the network of disability, embodiment and care studies
Tethers the trio of disability, embodiment, and care studies to a single major author in order to provide an, at once, intensive and capacious sense of human variation and biodiversity
Attends equally to popular responses to and scholarly interpretations of Milton’s representations of disability, embodiment, and care
Brings Critical Disability Studies (CDS) specialists into conversation with experienced Renaissance scholars to intervene in long-standing yet still-urgen debates and to illustrate Milton’s ongoing relevance in contemporary culture
The governing questions of Milton and the Network of Disability, Embodiment and Care are threefold: What does reading Milton’s texts – and literature generally – through the theoretical lens of disability, embodiment and care studies (DEC) reveal that was illegible before? How have Milton’s visual and mobility impairments, as well as his artistic representations of human biodiversity, factored into his status as a canonical author? And what insights does bringing a DEC lens to Milton’s body of work and its reception give us into literature and longstanding stereotypes about humans and their cultural and physical environments? The thirteen chapters, Foreword and Afterword of this collection, composed by established and emerging scholars, provide cogent answers by drawing on the contributors’ expertise in various fields. The volume advances what Milton’s texts – from sonnet to epic and political tract to tragedy – can tell us about not only literary representations of human variation, physical and mental, but also cultural responses to disability, embodiment and care that affect all readers – and all people – today.
Duran, Angelica; Toscano, Pasquale
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 298 Pages
Situates the works, legend and reception of the Renaissance poet and politician John Milton within the network of disability, embodiment and care studies
Tethers the trio of disability, embodiment, and care studies to a single major author in order to provide an, at once, intensive and capacious sense of human variation and biodiversity
Attends equally to popular responses to and scholarly interpretations of Milton’s representations of disability, embodiment, and care
Brings Critical Disability Studies (CDS) specialists into conversation with experienced Renaissance scholars to intervene in long-standing yet still-urgen debates and to illustrate Milton’s ongoing relevance in contemporary culture
The governing questions of Milton and the Network of Disability, Embodiment and Care are threefold: What does reading Milton’s texts – and literature generally – through the theoretical lens of disability, embodiment and care studies (DEC) reveal that was illegible before? How have Milton’s visual and mobility impairments, as well as his artistic representations of human biodiversity, factored into his status as a canonical author? And what insights does bringing a DEC lens to Milton’s body of work and its reception give us into literature and longstanding stereotypes about humans and their cultural and physical environments? The thirteen chapters, Foreword and Afterword of this collection, composed by established and emerging scholars, provide cogent answers by drawing on the contributors’ expertise in various fields. The volume advances what Milton’s texts – from sonnet to epic and political tract to tragedy – can tell us about not only literary representations of human variation, physical and mental, but also cultural responses to disability, embodiment and care that affect all readers – and all people – today.
eBook
Medical education and the making of Iraqi Doctors, 1869-1959
Farhan, Sara
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 364 Pages
Charts doctors and students as reformers, bureaucrats and subjects of social and cultural forces
Delves into a hundred years of history to offer the first English monograph on the history of medical education in the modern Middle East
Focuses particularly on Iraq, a sensational yet highly understudied region
Situates social history in the emergence of medical institutions in late Ottoman, British occupied and mandated, as well as Monarchic and early Republican Iraq
An extensively researched study that highlights a wealth of rarely consulted sources gathered from fourteen archives, family collections, medical journals, student newspapers, film, and oral interviews
This book offers a rigorous social and cultural history of the formation of medical professionals in modern Iraq and their role in shaping public health institutions. Tracing developments from late Ottoman medical reforms to the establishment of the Medical College of Mosul, the book examines the institutionalisation of medical education as a critical element of the social transformation of Iraq. It reveals how shifting imperial, colonial and national frameworks sought to cultivate a cadre of physicians who would serve state and society. These experts, however, often found themselves navigating competing ideological imperatives.
This extensively researched study highlights a wealth of rarely consulted sources gathered from 14 archives, family collections, medical journals, student newspapers, film and oral interviews. Drawing on these materials, it interrogates the contradictions inherent in state-driven efforts, wherein doctors functioned as agents of reform and subjects of bureaucratic oversight. Through this, Sara Farhan reveals the nexus between medical pedagogy, professional authority, public health policy and the broader political transformations that continually redefined medicine in Iraq.
Farhan, Sara
Edinburgh University Press
, 2025
; English
; 364 Pages
Charts doctors and students as reformers, bureaucrats and subjects of social and cultural forces
Delves into a hundred years of history to offer the first English monograph on the history of medical education in the modern Middle East
Focuses particularly on Iraq, a sensational yet highly understudied region
Situates social history in the emergence of medical institutions in late Ottoman, British occupied and mandated, as well as Monarchic and early Republican Iraq
An extensively researched study that highlights a wealth of rarely consulted sources gathered from fourteen archives, family collections, medical journals, student newspapers, film, and oral interviews
This book offers a rigorous social and cultural history of the formation of medical professionals in modern Iraq and their role in shaping public health institutions. Tracing developments from late Ottoman medical reforms to the establishment of the Medical College of Mosul, the book examines the institutionalisation of medical education as a critical element of the social transformation of Iraq. It reveals how shifting imperial, colonial and national frameworks sought to cultivate a cadre of physicians who would serve state and society. These experts, however, often found themselves navigating competing ideological imperatives.
This extensively researched study highlights a wealth of rarely consulted sources gathered from 14 archives, family collections, medical journals, student newspapers, film and oral interviews. Drawing on these materials, it interrogates the contradictions inherent in state-driven efforts, wherein doctors functioned as agents of reform and subjects of bureaucratic oversight. Through this, Sara Farhan reveals the nexus between medical pedagogy, professional authority, public health policy and the broader political transformations that continually redefined medicine in Iraq.
