Tidens betydelse för tolkningen av ett litet urval patientfotografier från Upsala Hospital och Asyl

Sammanfattning

In the development of psychiatric science, patient photographs have been used to classify and visualize mental illness. Within the social sciences, this historical practice has been interpreted as an exercise of power, where the depicted people are reduced to diagnoses. This thesis explores the possibility of alternative ways of interpreting patient photographs. Based on the French philosopher Roland Barthes’ theory of photography and his concept of punctum - time, four photographs of patients at Ulleråker's psychiatric asylum in Uppsala from the early 20th century are analyzed. The thesis draws a historical background to the role of photography within psychiatry. The four photographs are analyzed in relation to other forms of portrait photography and the status of patient photographs as portraits is examined. Finally, the question how the time since the photo opportunity affects our ability to interpret the images is discussed.