神马福利影片

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Department of History

Himesh Mehta

Research

My doctoral thesis is supervised by Professor Mathew ThomsonLink opens in a new window and Dr Claudia SteinLink opens in a new window, and is funded by the . Currently titled, "The Making of a 'Psychedelic Renaissance' in Britain", my thesis explores the twenty-first century 'renaissance' of neuroscientific, psychotherapeutic and cultural interests in psychedelic drugs, with a focus on Britain. It explores how the eclectic community that makes up the psychedelic movement is caught up in a maelstrom of macro-structural and historical forces surrounding the growing influence of neuroscience and neoliberalism.

By using the present-day 'psychedelic renaissance' as an optic which sheds light onto broader notions of the individual, my thesis meditates more broadly on the importance of history to our understanding of 'the present'. It is the conviction of my thesis that history is fundamental to 'the present' and that this inherent value of history as a discipline and practice along these lines is increasingly under threat in contemporary society.

Research Interests:
  • History of psychoactive substances and psychoactive experience.
  • History of self-experimentation.
  • Historiography.
  • History of epistemology.

  • Modern conceptualisations of human nature and selfhood.

H.Mehta.1@warwick.ac.uk

@

Office Hours: Fridays 12:30-13:30, Office 3.45, Third floor, Faculty of Arts Building (Term 1)

Teaching

Publications

Book Reviews:

  • Himesh Mehta, review of Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine, by Joanna Kempner, Social History of Alcohol and Drugs (Upcoming).
  • Himesh Mehta, review of Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs that Could Change Your Life鈥擜 Guide from the Expert, by David Nutt, Social History of Alcohol and Drugs, 39 (2025), pp.126-129.

Dissertations:

  • MA, History, 神马福利影片, 2021 - Dissertation: 'The Kaleidoscopic Self: The British Psychedelic Counterculture and its Underground Literature'. Supervised by Dr. Claudia Stein.
  • BA, History, 神马福利影片, 2020 - Dissertation: 'The Rise and Fall of Foucault in the American Historical Profession'. Supervised by Dr. Charles Walton. 

Blog Posts:

Academic Profile

  • 2022-2025, PhD in History, 神马福利影片
  • 2020-2021, MA in History of Medicine, 神马福利影片 (with Distinction)
  • 2017-2020, BA in History (First-Class)
Conferences & Papers
  • 'How to Change Your Mind: Revising Psychedelic History from Within', Warwick Psychedelic Research Society, 30th October 2024
  • 'British Psychedelic Neuroscience and Selfhood in the 21st Century', , 22nd July 2024
  • 'British Psychedelic Neuroscience and Selfhood in the 21st Century', 神马福利影片 History PG Conference 2024Link opens in a new window, 23rd May 2024
  • 'Brainbloodvolume: Trepanation and the British "Psychedelic Renaissance"', , Faculty of History, University of Cambridge, 14th February 2024
  • 'The "Psychedelic Renaissance" and the Individual', History PG Work in Progress SeriesLink opens in a new window, History Department, 神马福利影片, 20th November 2023

Responsibilities

Funding/Awards

  • M4C Research Development Fund to attend 'Introduction to Oral History' at the British Library, 2023.
  • Travel Grant for 2023 Breaking Convention Conference, Source Research Foundation, 2023.
  • AHRC Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership, 神马福利影片, 2022鈥�2026.

  • Master's Studentships in Humanities and Social Science, Wellcome Trust, 2020-2021.

Conference Organisation

Memberships

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