David Wright (academic)

David Wright is a Canadian historian specializing in the history of disability, medicine, and psychiatry. He is a Distinguished University Professor at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Wright's research focuses on the social and cultural history of disability and mental health, particularly in 19th and 20th century Europe and North America. He has published extensively on the history of asylum care, the development of psychiatric nosology, and the experiences of disabled people throughout history.

Key Publications (selection):

• Mental Disability in Victorian England: The Earlswood Asylum, 1847-1901. Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Downs: The History of a Disability. Oxford University Press, 2011.
• (Co-edited with Erna Kurbegovic) The Palgrave Handbook of Disability History. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
• Diagnosing the Modern Mind: Psychiatry in Victorian Britain. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Wright's work is known for its interdisciplinary approach, drawing on sources from medical archives, patient records, literature, and visual culture. He frequently explores the complex interactions between medical knowledge, social attitudes, and individual experiences of disability. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his scholarship, and is a leading figure in the field of disability history.