Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 from 12:00-1:30pm PDT

Join us for a captivating forum exploring the pioneering work of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson before psychedelics, their Boasian anthropology influence, and their roles as public intellectuals during the Cold War. Discover their interactions with early psychedelic researchers, the impact of major foundations like Macy, Rockefeller, and Ford, and their personal acquaintance with psychedelics. We’ll also delve into the significance of 1950s psychedelic research compared to the 1960s and discuss the controversial MKULTRA program. Speakers include Benjamin Breen, an associate professor of history at UC Santa Cruz, and Patrick Farrell, historian and member of Chacruna’s Chronicles editorial team, and instructor at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Don’t miss this chance to delve into the fascinating intersection of anthropology, public thought, and psychedelics!

Benjamin Breen is an associate professor of history at UC Santa Cruz. From July 2015 to January 2017 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at Columbia University, and a lecturer in Columbia’s history department. He grew up in California and earned his PhD in history from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015, where his doctoral advisor was Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra. His first book, The Age of Intoxication, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2019. His second book, Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science, appeared in 2024. He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his partner Roya Pakzad and their daughter Yara.

Patrick Farrell is a writer and editor who has worked on numerous projects in a range of fields. He has worked on several Chacruna-led initiatives, most notably its Women in Psychedelics series. He has a particular interest in the history of psychedelics and has contributed to several books on the subject. He is also an instructor at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, offering classes in history and philosophy.

What do you know about the anthropological contributions of Mead and Bateson to psychedelics?