Be Birkbeck lecture on the history of pain
Members heard Professor Joanna Bourke speak about her latest research
Last week, Be Birkbeck members attended the second lecture of the newly launched membership scheme. Based on her latest research about the history of pain, Professor Joanna Bourke’s lecture asked what pain is and what it has meant throughout history.
Controversially, as with other lectures in this series, Professor Bourke argued that pain is a cultural construction into which we are all initiated from birth. She explored how key medical events, such as the introduction of effective pain relief and anaesthetics, and changes in the environment, such as the introduction of the railways, affected people’s interpretations of the meaning of pain and how they expressed their experiences of pain. Using historical accounts of painful experiences and medical textbooks from the nineteenth century, Professor Bourke demonstrated how the language of pain has evolved. She examined the difficulties that people have had historically of accurately describing their pain, arguing that in fact all powerful sensations are difficult to express in words.
As with the other lectures in this series, members of Be Birkbeck engaged in a lively discussion of the topics raised. A video of the lecture, further reading materials and the opportunity to continue the discussion online are available to Be Birkbeck members on the website.
Be Birkbeck gives members access to lectures by leading academics and provides a forum for intellectual discussion and debate for those who wish to learn without studying for a formal qualification.
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