Dwelling in Strangeness: accounts of the Kingsley Hall Community, London (1965-1970)

Chapman, A. (2021) Dwelling in Strangeness: accounts of the Kingsley Hall Community, London (1965-1970). Journal of Medical Humanities, 42(3), pp. 471-494. (doi: 10.1007/s10912-020-09656-0) (PMID:32845421)

Abstract

This article explores archival accounts of the experimental community, Kingsley Hall (1965-70), established by R. D. Laing, the radical Scottish psychiatrist. The paper contributes to renewed interest in Kingsley Hall, R. D. Laing's radical psychiatry and UK counterculture. Archival sources enable not only the further exploration of already known figures but also let us hear previously unheard voices. Following a discussion of archival materials, the Hall is analyzed thematically and historically as (i) an inner spaceship; (ii) an embattled middle-class countercultural plantation; (iii) a site of spiritual renewal and development; (iv) a single-building arts colony; and (v) a countercultural experiment. Finally, it is argued that with re-evaluation of 1960s and 1970s counterculture now underway on the Left, the Hall’s experiment in Laingian countercultural psychiatry—as we may fittingly call it—may yet inform future radical projects (in mental health and beyond).

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The author has received research grants from the Wellcome Trust (198626/Z/15/Z), and UCL (Visiting Fellowship, Special Collections, 2019).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Chapman, Dr Adrian
• Authors: Chapman, A.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Literature
• Journal Name: Journal of Medical Humanities
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1041-3545
• ISSN (Online): 1573-3645
• Published Online: 26 August 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Medical Humanities 42(3): 471-494
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License