Earlier this month saw the release of Critical Medical Humanities, a special edition of BMJ Medical Humanities. This special edition features work by Hubbub collaborator and inequalities researcher, Lynne Friedli, working with Robert Stearn of Birkbeck, University of London, in the form of the paper, ‘Positive affect as coercive strategy: conditionality, activation and the role of psychology in UK government workfare programmes.’
Lynne and Robert’s article has received considerable public attention and a summary of the various press releases and responses is outlined here.
- BBC: Don’t treat unemployment as a mental problem – report
- Birkbeck: Unemployment ‘being rebranded as a psychological disorder’
- The British Psychological Society: Psychology and the unemployed
- Centre for Medical Humanities, Durham University: Published Today: ‘Critical Medical Humanities’, a special issue of BMJ’s Medical Humanities
- The Conversation: Facing psychological coercion and manipulation has become a daily part of claiming benefits
- George Monbiot in The Guardian, Comment is Free: Skivers and strivers: this 200–year–old myth won’t die
- The Independent: The DWP is trying to psychologically ‘reprogramme’ the unemployed, study finds
- Wellcome Trust: First research paper from Hubbub: Unemployment ‘being rebranded as a psychological disorder’
- Wellcome Trust: Wellcome Trust Research Round-up 15.06.15
Critical Medical Humanities was guest edited by Hubbub’s own Felicity Callard and Angela Woods, alongside Will Viney, also of Durham University, and features an article authored by the three guest editors which forms part of Hubbub research.
The release is accompanied by a podcast on the subject of workfare and associated psychological practices featuring Lynne, Robert and Angela.
