Working Through What Is. Depression and the Predicament of Reality in Poland (EBOOK)

How do we account for the current proliferation of depression as a diagnostic and cultural category?
How has its rise interplayed with the postsocialist transformation and the construction of the neoliberal order?

This monograph of contemporary Polish depression sheds light on the social, political, and semantic processes that have shaped its meanings, ex- periences, understandings, and treatments. Examining depression’s history in Poland after 1989, the author not only considers the social conditions of clinical practice, but also explores a broader phenomenon of the cultural dynamic of realification (urealnienie) – the socially produced sense of realness of the world around us. The book thus touches upon various aspects of cultural theory while keeping an ethnographic, empirical character.

It is addressed to the academic audience in the field of social sciences, cultural studies, or humanities, as well as anyone with an interest in the social factors shaping mental health and the cultural dimensions of capitalism.

The publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Poland license (CC BY 3.0 PL) (full license available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode).

Keywords: depression, psychiatry, psychotherapy, neoliberalism, transformation, reality.

In his book, Grzegorz Sokół brings together the best traditions of the humanities: a deep consideration of the observable, tangible reality of individual people and a sophisticated theoretical reflection. The author’s starting point is the concrete ethnographic object of depression, understood not just as a specific diagnostic category, but also as a construct used in everyday discourse, in media, and at meetings of Depressed Anonymous. The author shows that depression has become a new idiom of suffering characteristic of the Polish post-transformation reality. Ultimately, the book is a very original and compelling microhistory of Poland.
Magdalena Radkowska-Walkowicz, Associate Professor Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw

The area of research and range of experiences examined by the author are truly impressive. Reaching beyond official and stereotypical descriptions of psychiatric practice, this book may interest current and potential patients. The category of “realification” constitutes a unique research contribution and offers a better understanding of the dynamic behind the production of social reality.
Andrzej Kapusta, Associate Professor Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin

PhD Grzegorz Sokół – received his doctorate in sociocultural anthropology from The New School for Social Research in New York and is currently an assistant professor in the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” at the University of Warsaw. His interests include medical and psychiatric anthropology, cultural dimensions of politics and intimacy, and social production of reality. He also works as a journalist and a documentary producer.