This paper uses a collection of highly unusual letters from the Elizabethan State Papers, whose authors are described as ‘crazy’, ‘distracted’, and ‘insane’, to explore the epistolary construction and expression of mental and emotional distress in late-sixteenth-century England. It begins by reflecting briefly on the tricky methodological problems inherent in such an enterprise: the uncertain…
Online Conference on Histories of Disability and Emotions
The history of disability and the history of emotions are now two well established fields. Historians of disabilities have often referred to and included emotions in their historical narratives. Examples of these are the existing histories related to the instrumental place occupied by pity in telethons, the tangible presence of rage and anger in histories…
CFP: Histories of Disability and Emotions
CFP – Histories of Disability and Emotions – An International Online Conference Hosted by KU Leuven and the University of Liège, Belgium, 13-15 June 2023 The history of disability and the history of emotions are now well-established fields of research. They have experienced relatively similar debates and methodological developments, and they have strong, if complicated,…