Eugene Raikhel
@eraikhel.bsky.social
Anthropology of medicine, mental health, addiction, psychiatry, biosciences, Russia. Based in Dept of Comparative Human Development at UChicago.
Deeply honored to be in the wonderful group of co-authors for this introduction to the "Cases in Global Social Medicine" series in The Lancet. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Translational social medicine for global health: introducing Cases in Global Social Medicine
“Why treat people and send them back to the conditions that make them sick?”, one
of us (Michael Marmot) has asked, based on overwhelming evidence that social forces
are among the strongest determinan...
www.thelancet.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Deeply honored to be in the wonderful group of co-authors for this introduction to the "Cases in Global Social Medicine" series in The Lancet. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
In Search of the Unclassified Residuum: Q&A with Rachel Aviv
The author of “Strangers to Ourselves” on diagnostic stories, iatrogenic narratives, explanatory pluralism, humility, and more.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/in-search-...
The author of “Strangers to Ourselves” on diagnostic stories, iatrogenic narratives, explanatory pluralism, humility, and more.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/in-search-...
In Search of the Unclassified Residuum: Q&A with Rachel Aviv
“There are stories that save us, and stories that trap us, and in the midst of an illness it can be very hard to know which is which.”
www.psychiatrymargins.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM
In Search of the Unclassified Residuum: Q&A with Rachel Aviv
The author of “Strangers to Ourselves” on diagnostic stories, iatrogenic narratives, explanatory pluralism, humility, and more.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/in-search-...
The author of “Strangers to Ourselves” on diagnostic stories, iatrogenic narratives, explanatory pluralism, humility, and more.
www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/in-search-...
An important and timely piece on autism by anthropologist Richard Grinker.
Thank you, Richard Grinker, for setting the record straight.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Opinion | Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM
An important and timely piece on autism by anthropologist Richard Grinker.
Such sad news. Jonathan was one of the first people my wife and I met when we moved to Chicago - during a tour of a preschool for our son. Over the years we would run into him at playgrounds, as our children grew up, and of course on campus. He was a lovely human being.
So so sad to learn about the death of Jonathan Lear. His work on Aristotle and Freud was formative for me. He was a model of philosophical intelligence and curiosity. More importantly he was a human human, with rare integrity and sharp judgment. It's hard to imagine the world without him in it.
September 22, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Such sad news. Jonathan was one of the first people my wife and I met when we moved to Chicago - during a tour of a preschool for our son. Over the years we would run into him at playgrounds, as our children grew up, and of course on campus. He was a lovely human being.
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
At a moment when higher education is threatened by forces that seek to destroy it and its role in a democratic society, the anticipatory obedience shown by this rush to judgment must be avoided.
Link to statement here:
4/4
Link to statement here:
4/4
Academic Freedom and the Death of Charlie Kirk
The AAUP notes with great alarm the rash of recent administrative actions to discipline faculty, staff, and student speech in the aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk.
www.aaup.org
September 15, 2025 at 2:53 PM
At a moment when higher education is threatened by forces that seek to destroy it and its role in a democratic society, the anticipatory obedience shown by this rush to judgment must be avoided.
Link to statement here:
4/4
Link to statement here:
4/4
Very excited about this edited volume which Matthew, Junko and I have been working on for a while and which brings together contributions by a number of amazing scholars!
I'm so pleased to share the cover of Mapping Medical Anthropology for the Twenty-First Century. I've been working on this for the past few years with @eraikhel.bsky.social and Junko Kitanaka for @rutgersupress.bsky.social, and it will finally be available in April 2026! Read more: bit.ly/46zEzOF
September 13, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Very excited about this edited volume which Matthew, Junko and I have been working on for a while and which brings together contributions by a number of amazing scholars!
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
Important heads up - as the new appropriations for ICE make it one of the largest militaries/police forces in the world. Theda Skocpol has it exactly right. ICE is the muscle behind autocratic capture in the US.
Harvard sociologist/polisci Theda Skocpol explains how the vast expansion of ICE in BBB may be Trump's secret weapon to overcome the barriers of federalism and complete his autocratic takeover of the American state. (History from Germany & Hungary in 20s/30s.) talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...
Critical Read About the BBB, Federalism and the Future of American Democracy
TPM Reader TS (Harvard sociologist/political scientist Theda Skocpol) and I often compared...
talkingpointsmemo.com
July 6, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Important heads up - as the new appropriations for ICE make it one of the largest militaries/police forces in the world. Theda Skocpol has it exactly right. ICE is the muscle behind autocratic capture in the US.
I learned so much from teaching "Critical Studies of Mental Health in Higher Education" this year. A huge thanks to the amazing students and to Gracie Wilson, who was an incredible teaching assistant. Sharing the syllabus here: www.academia.edu/129632674/Cr...
Critical Studies of Mental Health in Higher Education syllabus
This course draws on a range of perspectives from across the interpretive, critical, and humanistic social sciences to examine the issues of mental health, illness, and distress in higher education.
www.academia.edu
May 29, 2025 at 5:20 PM
I learned so much from teaching "Critical Studies of Mental Health in Higher Education" this year. A huge thanks to the amazing students and to Gracie Wilson, who was an incredible teaching assistant. Sharing the syllabus here: www.academia.edu/129632674/Cr...
Congratulations to all of the undergrads and 2nd year PhDs who presented their fascinating research at the annual Trial Research Conference in the Department of Comparative Human Development at UChicago! And thanks to keynote speaker Elizabeth Fein for a wonderfully engaging and inspiring talk!
May 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Congratulations to all of the undergrads and 2nd year PhDs who presented their fascinating research at the annual Trial Research Conference in the Department of Comparative Human Development at UChicago! And thanks to keynote speaker Elizabeth Fein for a wonderfully engaging and inspiring talk!
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
We filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s authority to remake the government without congressional approval. Elena breaks it all down. #PSRW2025
May 8, 2025 at 11:12 PM
We filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s authority to remake the government without congressional approval. Elena breaks it all down. #PSRW2025
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
Really looking forward to this event with Todd Meyers, author of GONE GONE, an ethnography of the grief of those who lose loved ones to opioid overdose, today at the Remarque Institute at NYU.
Would love to see you if you’re around—note, you have to register to attend:
Would love to see you if you’re around—note, you have to register to attend:
May 14, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Really looking forward to this event with Todd Meyers, author of GONE GONE, an ethnography of the grief of those who lose loved ones to opioid overdose, today at the Remarque Institute at NYU.
Would love to see you if you’re around—note, you have to register to attend:
Would love to see you if you’re around—note, you have to register to attend:
A huge thanks to @annamueller.bsky.social for zooming in to visit my course on mental health & higher ed to discuss her and @sethabrutyn.bsky.social's fantastic book: "Life under pressure: The social roots of youth suicide & what to do about them." A great discussion & we all learned so much!
May 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A huge thanks to @annamueller.bsky.social for zooming in to visit my course on mental health & higher ed to discuss her and @sethabrutyn.bsky.social's fantastic book: "Life under pressure: The social roots of youth suicide & what to do about them." A great discussion & we all learned so much!
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
The 2025 David Hakken Graduate Student Prize is still open for submissions! We invite current or recent graduate students to submit papers showcasing innovative research at the intersection of anthropology and STS.
🗓️Deadline: June 1, 2025
✔️Details: castac.org/castac-award...
🗓️Deadline: June 1, 2025
✔️Details: castac.org/castac-award...
David Hakken Graduate Student Paper Prize | CASTAC
castac.org
May 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM
The 2025 David Hakken Graduate Student Prize is still open for submissions! We invite current or recent graduate students to submit papers showcasing innovative research at the intersection of anthropology and STS.
🗓️Deadline: June 1, 2025
✔️Details: castac.org/castac-award...
🗓️Deadline: June 1, 2025
✔️Details: castac.org/castac-award...
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
6.28318530718
6.28318530718
May 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie.
6.28318530718
6.28318530718
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
The @nytimes.com says @totomcgee.bsky.social 's new book "Gone, Gone" is a stand-out among many books on the opioid crisis. Molly Young says it's "the first account I’ve found that must be respirated rather than read. Effortlessly intricate."
buff.ly/HK7bzrZ
buff.ly/HK7bzrZ
May 5, 2025 at 1:15 PM
The @nytimes.com says @totomcgee.bsky.social 's new book "Gone, Gone" is a stand-out among many books on the opioid crisis. Molly Young says it's "the first account I’ve found that must be respirated rather than read. Effortlessly intricate."
buff.ly/HK7bzrZ
buff.ly/HK7bzrZ
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the relationships between psychiatry, the state, and families, and congratulations to @zhiyingma.bsky.social on this achievement!
In "Between Families and Institutions" @zhiyingma.bsky.social examines how the contemporary Chinese state’s biopolitical governance impacts families’ involvement in the psychiatric care of their close relatives. Read the intro for free now! #Anthropology #AsianStudies
https://buff.ly/4blj2dp
https://buff.ly/4blj2dp
April 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the relationships between psychiatry, the state, and families, and congratulations to @zhiyingma.bsky.social on this achievement!
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
Wesleyan President Michael Roth gets it and — more importantly — says it out loud.
time.com/7272520/appe...
time.com/7272520/appe...
Appeasing President Donald Trump Won’t Work
From Columbia University to Paul Weiss, leaders have gone beyond de-escalation into outright collaboration with Trump.
time.com
April 1, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Wesleyan President Michael Roth gets it and — more importantly — says it out loud.
time.com/7272520/appe...
time.com/7272520/appe...
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
“If you want to be neutral in the face of an authoritarian, antiscience, anti–free speech, anti-intellectual & xenophobic White House that is directly attacking the university, you have no business in a university leadership position. Do your job. Defend your university.”
— Historian Robert Cohen
— Historian Robert Cohen
Historian Discusses DEI Bans Through a Historical Lens
Historian Robert Cohen, whose most recent book focuses on integration at the University of Georgia, explains what we stand to lose now that anti-DEI attacks extend to the classroom.
www.insidehighered.com
March 26, 2025 at 9:25 PM
“If you want to be neutral in the face of an authoritarian, antiscience, anti–free speech, anti-intellectual & xenophobic White House that is directly attacking the university, you have no business in a university leadership position. Do your job. Defend your university.”
— Historian Robert Cohen
— Historian Robert Cohen
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
Been a few days since I reposted this, so here it is again. #Skystorians #HistMed #MedHum please repost widely!
POSTDOC ALERT! Postdoc in the history of modern medicine or public health at Wisconsin: details at the link below. 2 years, excellent conditions. #Skystorians #HistMed #medhum please repost widely!
mhb.wisc.edu/2025/02/25/p...
mhb.wisc.edu/2025/02/25/p...
Postdoctoral Fellow: History of Modern (19th century-present) Medicine or Public Health
Position Requirements: PhD in history of modern (19th century-present) medicine or public health or closely related field, geographic area and specialty open. All requirements for the PhD, including t...
mhb.wisc.edu
March 6, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Been a few days since I reposted this, so here it is again. #Skystorians #HistMed #MedHum please repost widely!
Reposted by Eugene Raikhel
For @chronicle.com, I take stock of the moment in which higher ed finds itself -- under attack from forces in the government and in civil society -- and what we should do about it. www.chronicle.com/article/hand...
Opinion | Hands Off Higher Ed!
The sector is at war. It’s time to fight harder.
www.chronicle.com
February 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
For @chronicle.com, I take stock of the moment in which higher ed finds itself -- under attack from forces in the government and in civil society -- and what we should do about it. www.chronicle.com/article/hand...
I was very pleased to recently contribute a Forward to the volume, "Politics and Practices of the Ethnographies of Biomedicine and STEM: Among White Coats," expertly edited by Cinzia Greco (@cinziag.bsky.social).
www.academia.edu/128030876/Fo...
www.academia.edu/128030876/Fo...
Forward: Ethnography and Experiment Among White Coats
What does it mean to conduct ethnography “among white coats” today? Specifically, what kinds of practices, roles, and power relations does being an ethnographer “among” clinicians and scientists entai...
www.academia.edu
March 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM
I was very pleased to recently contribute a Forward to the volume, "Politics and Practices of the Ethnographies of Biomedicine and STEM: Among White Coats," expertly edited by Cinzia Greco (@cinziag.bsky.social).
www.academia.edu/128030876/Fo...
www.academia.edu/128030876/Fo...
Thx to the participants in the Cultures of Youth Mental Health workshop that Junko Kitanaka and I organized at UChicago's Hong Kong center last week. We'll have a formal conference report soon, but for now I just wanted to mention how much I learned from everyone's research & insights.
January 27, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Thx to the participants in the Cultures of Youth Mental Health workshop that Junko Kitanaka and I organized at UChicago's Hong Kong center last week. We'll have a formal conference report soon, but for now I just wanted to mention how much I learned from everyone's research & insights.
Sharing another syllabus, this one for a course on "Technology, society, and self" that I've taught a couple of times. I'd be happy to hear about suggestions for texts that might be added to a future iteration of this class. www.academia.edu/122460134/Te...
Technology, society, and self MLAP -Summer 2024
Theories about technology and its relationship to society and self are everywhere, even if we don't always recognize them or articulate them. For example, technology is frequently seen as a primar...
www.academia.edu
December 3, 2024 at 6:45 PM
Sharing another syllabus, this one for a course on "Technology, society, and self" that I've taught a couple of times. I'd be happy to hear about suggestions for texts that might be added to a future iteration of this class. www.academia.edu/122460134/Te...