The Intimate State: A Crucial Period in Modern British Psychiatric and Cultural History

Author Teri Chettiar delves into the fascinating story of how state-supported mental health initiatives prioritized emotional intimacy during a transformative period in modern British history, following World War II.

A Conflation of Emotional Wellbeing and Inclusive Democracy

Chettiar explores how individual emotional wellbeing became intertwined with inclusive democracy, leading to a new model of emotional health that promoted nuclear families and monogamous marriage relationships as fundamental for individual and political stability.

This collaboration between British mental health professionals and social reformers aimed to resolve the Cold War crisis in political and moral values, but it also sparked backlash and resistance from excluded communities, including women, queer people, and adolescents.

A New Generation of Activists and the Fight for Political Recognition

These marginalized groups would go on to inspire a new generation of activists who demanded political recognition on the basis of emotional health, effectively turning the state agenda on its head.

Through rigorous archival research, The Intimate State sheds light on the rise of a modern psychiatric view of the importance of intimate relationships and its impact on identity politics and social equality, which continues to influence our society today.

Published by Oxford University Press, this 328-page hardcover book is a must-read for those interested in modern British psychiatric and cultural history, identity politics, and social equality.

Book Details:

• Language: English
• Pages: 328
• ISBN-10: 0190931205
• ISBN-13: 978-0190931209
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: December 20, 2022