A World Alone: Film Screening and Discussion
September 17, 2024 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Cummings Center for the History of Psychology | 73 S. College St. Akron, OH 44325
Broadcast locally in the 1950s, A World Alone is a 25-minute documentary that details conditions inside Ohio’s mental health institutions. Narrated by award-winning journalist Eric Sevareid and filmed at the Cleveland State Hospital, the documentary features remarks by hospital staff, former patients, and John D. Porterfield, Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Hygiene and Correction. The film was produced at the cusp of the deinstitutionalization movement, and it highlights a period of turmoil and change in the history of U.S. mental health care.
Join us for a free screening of A World Alone, followed by a conversation with Cummings Center Assistant Director Dr. Jennifer Bazar. Bazar will discuss the changing landscape of mental health care in the mid-20th century and the role of media in the deinstitutionalization movement.
This event is part of the Cummings Center’s Brown Bag History series, which invites guests to drop in, bring a meal, and enjoy a lunchtime conversation about history and culture. All Brown Bag History events are free to attend and include free admission to the National Museum of Psychology and Institute galleries.
This event is also supported by The University of Akron Women's Studies Program as part of their Rethinking Gender Series.
Learn more about the history of asylums in our "Suffered As Women Do” exhibit, on view now at the Cummings Center's National Museum of Psychology.
Plan Your Visit
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