Nima Bassiri

Nima Bassiri, an Assistant Professor of Literature at Duke University and co-director of the Institute for Critical Theory, dives into the provocative relationship between mental illness and economic productivity. He discusses how historically, psychiatry intertwined with capitalist values, measuring mental health against economic utility. The conversation explores concepts like pathological value, the 'mad genius' and how perceptions of madness have shaped societal norms, revealing the complexities of mental health in a capitalist context.