My project explores conceptions of “madness” among post-soviet generations in Russia and Estonia. Specifically, I compare different impressions of what constitutes “mad” or mentally ill and what the consequences of “going mad” might be. In this way, I aim to evaluate the construct of “madness” intergenerationally and transnationally.
Having been awarded the Padma Desai Grant, I conducted interviews with 15 students, ages 18-25, in Moscow, Russia and Tartu, Estonia. In collaboration with disability and mad studies professor and expert, Dr. Susan Burch, I developed questions evaluating stigma and intergenerational views on madness. In collaboration with Dr. Tatiana Smorodinska, I then translated all interview questions to Russian. I administered interviews in Russian in Moscow and English in Tartu. I selected interviewees using Snowball sampling, through contacts in each country.
Grounding my analysis in disability and mad studies, I will present on the trends found in my interviews. Generally speaking, the Estonian students expressed greater acceptance and understanding of madness. However, they showed strong expectations that mad individuals seek medical treatment. Among the post-soviet Russian students, madness was considered more extreme, mysterious, and dire. However, they emphasized recovery and cure much less. Additionally, madness was considered an extremely private matter for the Estonians whereas Russians seemed more willing to disclose their madness to immediate relatives and close friends.
