Mystique, politique et maladie mentale. Historicités croisées (France, c. 1830 - c. 1900)

Departing from the issue of the historicity of mysticism, developed by Michel de Certeau, this paper discusses the different interpretations of religious events considered pathological, delivered by the aliénistes and psychiatrists in France between the 1830s and the last decade of the 19 th century. Through a historical and epistemological analysis of concepts such as « monomania », « religious delusion » and « mysticism », this paper develops the argument that French aliénisme and psychiatry reflect a broader political and religious context, marked indelibly by prophetic and messianic movements and individual hopes. The article reconstructs the process of naturalization of religious pathos, highlighting the political and religious normativities that have underpinned it. Finally, I analyze the new problems that the naturalization of religion created in the field of psychiatry, and observe briefly their impact in the field of humanities, spirituality and philosophy.