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Lunchtime work-in-progress seminar – Jules Evans

Wednesday 17th February, 2016

1-2, Bancroft 4.24

The second lunchtime work-in-progress seminar will take place on Wednesday 17th February. The Centre’s Jules Evans will present a paper titled ‘The decline and revival of ecstasy in Western culture’.

Abstract:

How do people get out of their heads in western culture? Ecstasy – defined as the experience of going beyond your ordinary sense of self and connecting to something bigger than you – was marginalised and pathologized in western culture from the 16th century onwards. Since the 1960s, however, it has made a comeback, through counter-culture and the rise of charismatic Christianity. This talk asks: is ecstasy always pathological, or can it be good for us and our societies? And how are contemporary psychology and psychiatry coming to appreciate ‘anomalous experiences’?

Lunch is provided and will be available from 12.45. Please rsvp to emotions@qmul.ac.uk for catering purposes. All welcome!