Abstract
Wilbert Gesler (1992) used the term “therapeutic landscape” in 1992 to explore why certain places or situations were perceived to be therapeutic. He drew on extensive literature from the social sciences and philosophy and devised a three-factor conceptual framework that considered physical, social and symbolic domains. Gesler emphasised that the concept was an analytic framework rather than an ideal type, and that it could be applied in practice to investigate places where healing took place. Subsequently, it has been widely used in studies of asylums and mental health care. In the first part of my presentation, I will critically analyse the concept and provide examples of its use, drawn from my study of the former Beechworth asylum. I will then consider aspects of contemporary mental health care, asking whether deinstitutionalisation led to the loss of the therapeutic landscape and consequent shortcomings in care. I take a broad view of “therapeutic”, extending from patients to include their families, asylum staff and the wider community.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
| Event | The Australian Sociological Association Conference 2023: TASA 2023 - University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Duration: 22 Nov 2023 → 23 Nov 2023 https://www.tasa.org.au/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=671860&module_id=567408 (Conference website) |
Conference
| Conference | The Australian Sociological Association Conference 2023 |
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| Abbreviated title | Sustaining the social: Voices, cultures, natures |
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Sydney |
| Period | 22/11/23 → 23/11/23 |
| Other | This year, TASA’s annual event sees a change of format due to the ISA World Congress of Sociology, held in Melbourne in June. TASA’s 2023 November event will be run as a colloquium. This three-day gathering, rather than the usual five-day conference, provides the opportunity to host a less jam-packed program, placing emphasis on a mix of panel-based and general papers, on discussion and social connection, and on broader regional and remote participation through both offline and online engagement. Held, once again, in conjunction with the Council of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Congress of HASS, TASA 2023 will kick-off with a half-day postgraduate event (Monday 27 November), followed by two further days (Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 November) involving panel-based sessions, general paper sessions relevant to a TASA thematic group, plenaries, social events, and TASA’s AGM and awards presentation. While we recognise that this offers fewer than usual chances to deliver a paper, it will potentially increase audience levels and thematic coherence. |
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