In the middle of the 20th century, brainwashing was seen as something that we have to worry about in so-called totalitarian societies. The particular focus is Mao's China but also Stalinism, Soviet Union and back shadowed by fascism and Nazism. And so brainwashing initially is used to describe what can be done to the human subject in conditions of total control.
In this episode we explore the history of brainwashing - the process of pressuring someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means.
Daniel Pick, a Psychoanalyst, Historian, and Professor Emeritus of History at Birkbeck College, University of London, joins Subhadra Das, broadcaster, academic and writer, with a keen interest in the history of eugenics, to delve into the murky history and psychology of brainwashing and to discuss Pick's latest book, 'Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control'.
This episode was recorded on the 17th of April 2023. It was produced by Senior Producer Tom Hall, with editing by Executive Producer Rowan Slaney
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