Introduction

Abstract

This chapter begins by examining the current state of mental health treatment in India. It analyses the historiography of psychiatry in Britain and its colonies, including Africa, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and India. It identifies the gaps in present scholarship concerning themes such as asylum soundscapes and foodscapes. Moreover, it sets the research framework of the study by elaborating on the scope, aims, and methodologies used. This study accounts for the indigenous experience of the lunatic asylum and argues that this institution caused historical trauma to patients and families alike. In identifying these traumas, the research aims to enable new narratives in mental health treatment.