Blindness: a cultural history

As far back as the archaeological record takes us, we can find evidence of blind people. But the experiences of those people – and the ways they were seen by others – have always been hugely shaped by the historical context they lived in. Writer and broadcaster Selina Mills joins Ellie Cawthorne to explore the forces that have affected the lives of blind people through the centuries – from religious ideas and mythical tropes, to Braille and schools for blind children.

(Ad) Selina Mills is the author of Life Unseen: A Story of Blindness (Bloomsbury Academic, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon:

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The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.

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