Making a Mindful Nation: Mental Health and Governance in the Twenty-First Century

Joanna Cook's book "Making a Mindful Nation" explores how mindfulness has become a psychological support, ethical practice, and component of public policy. She argues that cultivating a relationship with the mind is central to mental health and offers insights into the social processes by which mental health is lived, the normative values that inform it, and the practices of self-cultivation by which it is addressed.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Mindfulness, a practice rooted in Buddhist traditions, has gained widespread recognition as a psychological support, an ethical practice, and a component of public policy. Its pervasive presence in popular culture, therapeutic practices, and policy discussions has sparked curiosity about how this awareness training practice emerged as a solution to a diverse range of problems, from depression and anxiety to criminal recidivism. In her book, "Making a Mindful Nation," Joanna Cook explores the transformative power of mindfulness and its integration into the ways people envision mental health. Drawing on extensive fieldwork with patients, therapists, members of Parliament, and political advocates in Britain, Cook delves into how the logics of preventive mental healthcare are woven into individuals' relationships with themselves, therapeutic interventions, governance structures, and political campaigns.

Through intimate and detailed stories about people's lives, Cook develops her theoretical argument, offering valuable insights into the social processes that shape mental health, the normative values that guide it, and the practices of self-cultivation employed to address it. She observed mindfulness courses for individuals struggling with recurrent depression and anxiety, postgraduate courses for mindfulness-based therapists, parliamentary mindfulness practices, and political advocacy for mindfulness in public policy. Cook's work sheds light on the ways in which mental health is experienced, the values that inform it, and the strategies individuals employ to navigate the world, whether they involve challenges related to mental well-being or contributions to evolving political agendas.

In conclusion, "Making a Mindful Nation" by Joanna Cook provides a comprehensive exploration of the rise of mindfulness as a psychological support, an ethical practice, and a component of public policy. Through her in-depth fieldwork and compelling storytelling, Cook offers valuable insights into the social processes that shape mental health, the normative values that guide it, and the practices of self-cultivation employed to address it. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the transformative power of mindfulness and its potential to promote well-being and social change.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691244471