Workshop “Useful Film in (Neuro) Psychiatry Europe, 1900–1950”
University of Lausanne 3-4 March 2022
This workshop is organized in the framework of the SNSF project Cinéma et (neuro)psychiatrie en Suisse: autour de la collection Waldau, 1920-1990
Since its inception, the cinematograph had many applications in the medical field, and particularly in the fields of psychiatry, neurology and neuropsychiatry. With surgeons, neurologists and psychiatrists are at the forefront of using film as a tool for analyzing, storing, archiving, and transmitting knowledge. For a long time, the (neuro) psychiatric films made by doctors as part of their teaching and research have been overshadowed by educational and health films. But since 2000, and especially 2010, scholars from different disciplines are increasingly interested in these practices. Several interdisciplinary teams have conducted research, with the aim of rehabilitating film as a privileged source for both the history of medicine and the history of cinema.
Scholars face several challenges in front of films made by mental health professionals. How to locate objects that are poorly (or not at all) identified? How to understand them in the absence of sufficient information about their production and distribution context? How to work on films that are in poor condition? How to solve problems of access to sensitive data? How to establish productive transdisciplinary collaborations? Indeed, there is still much to be done to build on these documents defying traditional classifications (e.g. the distinction between documentary and fiction) and even escape knowledge altogether, as they “sleep” at the bottom of a closet, in a hospital, a bunker or the cellar of private owners.
Focusing on the study of films shown in medical institutions, in lecture halls and at scientific conferences, this workshop has several goals: to map the state of research on works devoted to useful films in the field of neurology, psychiatry and neuropsychiatry, in Europe between 1900 and 1950; to highlight investigations on poorly known or unknown film collections; to serve as a starting point for one to two publications (journal issues). The main purpose is thus to increase our knowledge on practices that have long been considered “marginal” both in the medical humanities and in the history of cinema (and the media).
We seek papers that may provide some answers to one or other of these questions:
- In which context (historical, institutional, scientific, etc.) do doctors appropriated the filmic medium?
- What are their needs and expectations regarding film?
- What are their explicit and implicit goals?
- What conception(s) of cinema underlie(s) the use of the moving image?
- What formal elements of the technology are considered productive or counterproductive?
- Which criteria lead doctors to emphasize certain technical properties of the medium to the expense of others?
- Which issues are raised by the films in the medical community?
- How are the films distributed and watched?
Contributions can include but are not limited to the following topics:
- Study of specific film collections, or other related media as film operates in conjunction with other visual media
- Methodological issues raised by the examination of such sources, including issues related to their preservation and storage
- Theoretical questions, as long as they are supported by a case study
- Investigation of institutional or personal synergies on a European scale (Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, etc.), given the intense circulation of medical expertise during the twentieth century
This workshop is related to a SFNS project that aims to study several film collections made in and around the Waldau between 1920 and 1990.
Proposals submission
Abstract submission deadline: October 30, 2021
Ideally, each abstract should articulate: 1) an issue or research question to be discussed, 2) a source-based case study 3) a methodological or critical framework used, and 4) expected findings or conclusions
Decisions will be communicated to the authors by November 30, 2021
Title and abstract (400 words max.), and a short bio (200 words max.) should be submitted in Word format to (Mireille.Berton@unil.ch)
Practical info
Language: English
Location: University of Lausanne, Dorigny campus, Switzerland
Expenses covered: one night's accommodation, meals, travel within Europe
No payment from the participants will be required
Contact: (Mireille.Berton@unil.ch) or (Raphael.Tinguely@unil.ch)
Timeline
October 30, 2021: application deadline
November 30, 2021: notification of acceptance
February 1, 2022: submission of a long abstract (500-600 words)
March 3-4, 2022: workshop
September 1, 2022: submission of the articles for publication
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