On Mass Hysteria
- Mass Hysteria is a powerful and uncompromising examination of how collective fear, social pressure, and institutional power shape the human body and mind.
Laia Abril uses photography as a critical tool — not to illustrate events, but to question how history, medicine, and authority construct narratives of control.
What you’ll find inside
The book combines photography, archival materials, documents, and texts to investigate historical and contemporary cases of mass psychogenic illness. Rather than offering a linear story, Abril builds a layered visual essay that moves between absence and evidence, image and text. The result is a disturbing yet rigorous reflection on belief, gender, and vulnerability, where photography functions as research, testimony, and critique.
Perfect for
– Readers interested in socially engaged and research-based photography
– Those drawn to photobooks that challenge traditional documentary forms
– Students and practitioners of visual culture, gender studies, and contemporary history
– Anyone looking for a demanding, thought-provoking approach to the photobook