'Made Up People': An Interdisciplinary Approach to Labelling and the Construction of People in Post-War History

Abstract

The overarching theme of this one-day conference was to situate labelling theory, as conceptualised by Professor Hacking, in the study of post-war history. The post-war period witnessed the emergence of numerous new categories and classifications of people, through the development of labels including 'schizophrenic', 'gambler', and 'adolescent'. This conference drew together speakers and delegates from a range of disciplines in order to raise a set of questions about these 'made up people'. The conference aimed to facilitate a workshop-style atmosphere, with a key note speech by Professor Hacking, several panel sessions, and a roundtable discussion. Image: Andrey Maximov (flikr)