Idiocy: A Cultural History

by Patrick McDonagh

Book Overview

The term 'idiot' is a damning put down, whether deployed on the playground or in the board room. People stigmatized as being 'intellectually disabled' today must confront variants of the fear and pity with which society has greeted them for centuries. In this ground-breaking new study Patrick McDonagh explores how artistic, scientific and sociological interpretations of idiocy work symbolically and ideologically in society. Drawing upon a broad spectrum...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1846310954
• ISBN13: 9781846310959
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.2"