Roy Richard Grinker is professor of anthropology and international affairs at the George Washington University. He is the author of several books, including "Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism."
His latest is "Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness." The book charts the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental-illness stigma, from the early industrial revolution, through America’s major wars, and into the high-tech economy.
We will discuss the book as well as COVID’s impact on the experience of mental illness, including its disruptions in mental health care, social isolation, depression, and grieving. Grinker is co-leading a yearlong study of changing funeral practices during the pandemic.
