The Discovery of the Asylum: Social Order and Disorder in the New Republic
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
This is a masterful effort to recognize and place the prison and asylums in their social contexts. Rothman shows that the complexity of their history can be unraveled and usefully interpreted. By... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0202307158
ISBN13:9780202307152
Release Date:October 2002
Publisher:Routledge
Length:428 Pages
Weight:1.50 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.7" x 8.4"
Related Subjects
Americas Anthropology Criminology Cultural Health, Fitness & Dieting Health, Fitness & Dieting History Mental Illness Modern (16th-21st Centuries) Political Science Politics & Government Politics & Social Sciences Psychology Psychology & Counseling Public Affairs & Policy Social Science Social Sciences Social Services & WelfareCustomer Reviews
1 rating
A Model of Institutionalization as a Reaction to Disorder
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I really enjoyed reading this book, though it did take me a while to read through it. Rothman advances an argument to explain why America turned to instituionalization of different classes of people during the Jacksonian period. His basic thesis is that medical elites feared the growing democratization of American society and therefore advanced the idea that institutionalization could make unproductive citizens productive and simletaneously serve as a model for the rest of the society. In Rothman's model, the "Discovery of the Asylum" was both a progressive and deeply conservative event. This conflict is never resolved, and was ultimately at the root of the great failure of the rehabilative model of insitutionalization in the post civil war period. Rothman persuaively argues that by the 1880's, the idea that individuals could be rehabilitated by the process of instituionalization had been abandoned in favor of a "custodial" model.Rothman looks at the examples of poor houses, pentientaries, orphanages and insane asylums to explicate his thesis.Fans of Foucault's "Discipline and Punishment", Goffman's "Asylums" and Sykes "The Society of Captives" should find this book enthralling.Highly recommended
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
