Happy to share with h-madness readers, the call for papers of this special edition of the Sociographe.

Summary

Both physicians and heirs to a specific discipline, many have sought to explore new paths, both in terms of theoretical conceptions and methodological approaches. For more than a century, the expansion of their discoveries has gone hand in hand with the growth of their institutional responsibilities. Yet at the heart of this evolution, the place of the psychiatrist as a person-indeed, as a personality-remains central. This issue of Le Sociographe seeks to better define what this figure of the psychiatrist represents, between what they are, what they embody, and what they reveal.

Announcement

“Mr. Psychiatrist is a hotelier who attracts his clients with the sound of medicine. He runs an establishment he calls a ‘health house’-like a prison. He plays science as others play the hunting horn. He is also a warder. Moreover, he is a ‘seer’: he reads not in the lines of the hand, but in the furrows of the brain.”
(Londres, 1925/1999, p. 149)

Since Albert Londres’s 1925 investigation, the psychiatrist has continued to fascinate, intrigue, and sometimes repel. From One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Forman, 1975) to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Sacks, 1985), the representations attached to psychiatrists-the stories they inhabit, their role in society, and the way they present themselves-remain today the subject of a mixture of interpretations, mistrust, and questioning.

Both physicians and heirs to a particular discipline, many have sought-and continue to seek-to explore new directions, both conceptually and methodologically. For more than a century, the expansion of their discoveries has been accompanied by an extension of their institutional prerogatives. Yet at the core of this evolution, the place of the psychiatrist as a person-indeed, as a personality-remains central. Between role-playing and influences, personal commitments both in clinical practice and in institutional constructions, misunderstandings and resonances with the wider society, examining the psychiatrist themselves and their place can open up many debates, touching as much on their social function as on the role of madness within the city.

In order to better delineate this figure of the psychiatrist-between what they are, what they represent, and what they show-this issue of Le Sociographe proposes to explore several lines of inquiry:

The psychiatrist as a character

Which particular figures-often highly distinctive-have left a lasting mark on the discipline, whether because of their own personalities or the very nature of their work? How do biography, history, and professional practice intersect to make the psychiatrist a character in their own right? Between profession and personality, in what way can “my psychiatrist,” for the patient, mirror “my judge,” invoked by the condemned man in Simenon’s short story? How does the relationship between this particular physician and their patient take shape in a specific, even personal, way for each of them?

The psychiatrist, the discipline, and institutions

From neuropsychiatry to mental health, how has the figure of the psychiatrist evolved, and how has this evolution reshaped an entire sector of the medical field? To what extent has their position been central to the development and transformation of care institutions, from services for so-called maladjusted children to occupational pathologies?

The psychiatrist and social critique

In contrast to the idea of the psychiatrist as a guarantor of social order, overseeing the “Great Confinement” theorized by Michel Foucault, how have many psychiatrists taken a firm stand in defense of another social order-sometimes radically different-grounded in a different place and consideration of madness within the city? How can struggles around madness and its recognition intersect with, cross-fertilize, and nourish other political struggles?

Submission Guidelines

Contributions should be sent to michael.pouteyo@umontpellier.fr before 1 March 2026.

Manuscripts submitted for this issue should not exceed 20,000 characters, including spaces, bibliography, notes, abstract, and keywords.

Manuscripts must be submitted in electronic format (Word), including telephone and postal contact details.

Additional guidelines are available on the Sociographe website: http://www.sociographe.org.

All manuscripts must be signed by one or more individual authors (no institutional authors). In the case of multiple authors, a single corresponding contact must be designated for editorial purposes. Authors will be listed alphabetically in the publication unless otherwise specified. Manuscripts must be accompanied by the authors’ email and postal addresses; without this information, no copies will be sent and none may be requested.

Manuscripts and other documents are submitted free of charge. Any file submitted implies the author’s authorization for online publication.

Contacts

Special issue edited by Michaël Pouteyo, michael.pouteyo@umontpellier.fr

Clara Lemonnier, Editor-in-Chief (clemonnier@adesformations.fr)
Léo Lebrun, Managing Editor (leo-lebrun@irts-pacacorse.com)

Bibliography

Fanon, Frantz (1952/2015). Black Skin, White Masks. Seuil.

Forman, Miloš (1975). One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (feature film). United Artists / Michael Douglas Production.

Foucault, Michel (1976). History of Madness in the Classical Age. Gallimard.

Le Guillant, Louis (1984). Quelle psychiatrie pour notre temps ? Érès.

Londres, Albert (1925/1999). Chez les fous. Le Serpent à Plumes.

Sacks, Oliver (1988/1992). The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Seuil.

Simenon, Georges (1947/1997). Letter to My Judge. Le Livre de Poche.

Tosquelles, François (2022). Soigner les institutions. L’Arachnéen.