Black Beryl Madness & Acute Religious Experiences, with Richard Saville-Smith
Today I sit down with Richard Saville-Smith, an independent scholar of madness, religion, and psychiatry. We discuss Richard’s book Acute Religious Experiences (2023), which argues that frameworks from Mad Studies can get us out from under the academy’s current habit of either pathologizing or sanitizing religious experiences. Along the way, we talk about the power struggle between psychiatry & the humanities, the influence of Queer Studies on Richard’s work, and his reinterpretation of Jesus as a madman.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
- Chapter 10 from Richard's book, which presents his D.R.E.A.D. framework for acute religious experiences.