New Perspectives on Medical Clowning: Clown Doctors in Covid-19, Wartime, and the Everyday

by Amnon Raviv

Overview

Taking the recent coronavirus pandemic as a starting point, this book presents and analyzes new research around medical clowning in hospitals, from social media use to the impact on the hospitalized child in later life.

This innovative book begins with an overview of the work of medical clowns. It discusses the idea of humor as a mechanism related to the revolution in language and human consciousness, and makes a connection between humor and anxiety, exploring how this can be mobilized to support hospitalized patients. There is extensive examination of medical clowning to strengthen coping skills and promote wellbeing in the time of Covid-19, where loneliness and isolation loomed large and anxieties were high. Subsequent chapters explore the role of medical clowning in wartime and at time of natural disasters, the experiences of children some time after their experience of hospitalization and clowning, and the role of social media and medical clowns in community building.

This book is a fascinating contribution to the literature on medical clowning. It is of interest to researchers, practitioners, and lecturers in medical clowning, play in healthcare, nursing, medicine, and performance studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032515441
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/09/2024
Pages:	106
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Amnon Raviv earned his PhD in medical clowning. He is a clown doctor in hospitals as part of the Dream Doctors project. Amnon Raviv is a Researcher and Lecturer at Ben Gurion University. He is a philosopher, musician, director, and actor.

Table of Contents

1- Humor, consciousness, and anxiety

2- The birth of a new profession

3 - Medical clowning during Covid

4- Medical clowning in wartime

5- Qualitative research on clowning in pediatrics units

6- Clowning around with cancer online: The impact of social media on the interaction between the medical clown and oncology patients

7- Medical clowning and music in the wards for chronic and serious illnesses

8- Rethinking the training of medical clowns and the basics of the profession