Mrs. Packard: How Misogyny and Ableism Intersect Historically and in the Present

Presenters

Macy CardwellFollow

Disciplines

Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory

Abstract (300 words maximum)

Mrs. Packard by Emily Mann is inspired by the true story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was committed to an insane asylum by her husband, a Calvinist minister. Packard was committed in 1860, at which time it was legal for a man to have his wife committed with no proof of her insanity. Packard protested her confinement for 3 years. When she was finally released, she fought in court to be declared sane, and went on to campaign for the rights of married women and the mentally ill. Mann’s play tells this story through a dual timeline, juxtaposing Packard’s time in the asylum with her trial.

Elizabeth Packard’s story exists at the intersection of misogyny and ableism, whose combined effects left her nearly helpless and at the mercies of neurotypical men. Intersectionality is a key concept in understanding the play; Packard’s struggles were not the result of her being merely a woman, or married, or possibly mentally ill, or breaking the mold of traditional Christianity. Rather, the disenfranchisement she experienced was a result of the converging of all of these issues into one situation.

While U.S. laws regarding married women and the mentally ill are vastly different today than they were in 1860, Mrs Packard still bears relevance to conversations regarding these marginalized identities. Women still struggle to be taken seriously by doctors, as do mentally ill and neurodivergent people. While the biases present in the medical field may not seem as egregious as those displayed in Mrs. Packard, they can and do cost people their lives.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

Theatre & Performance Studies

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Marlon Burnley

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Mrs. Packard: How Misogyny and Ableism Intersect Historically and in the Present

Mrs. Packard by Emily Mann is inspired by the true story of Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was committed to an insane asylum by her husband, a Calvinist minister. Packard was committed in 1860, at which time it was legal for a man to have his wife committed with no proof of her insanity. Packard protested her confinement for 3 years. When she was finally released, she fought in court to be declared sane, and went on to campaign for the rights of married women and the mentally ill. Mann’s play tells this story through a dual timeline, juxtaposing Packard’s time in the asylum with her trial.

Elizabeth Packard’s story exists at the intersection of misogyny and ableism, whose combined effects left her nearly helpless and at the mercies of neurotypical men. Intersectionality is a key concept in understanding the play; Packard’s struggles were not the result of her being merely a woman, or married, or possibly mentally ill, or breaking the mold of traditional Christianity. Rather, the disenfranchisement she experienced was a result of the converging of all of these issues into one situation.

While U.S. laws regarding married women and the mentally ill are vastly different today than they were in 1860, Mrs Packard still bears relevance to conversations regarding these marginalized identities. Women still struggle to be taken seriously by doctors, as do mentally ill and neurodivergent people. While the biases present in the medical field may not seem as egregious as those displayed in Mrs. Packard, they can and do cost people their lives.