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Madness and the demand for recognition: A philosophical inquiry into identity and mental health activism

Online ISBN:
9780191842047
Print ISBN:
9780198786863
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Madness and the demand for recognition: A philosophical inquiry into identity and mental health activism

Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed
Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed
Wellcome Trust ISSF Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London and Visiting Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, King's College London
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Published:
February 2019
Online ISBN:
9780191842047
Print ISBN:
9780198786863
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Madness and the Demand for Recognition: A Philosophical Inquiry into Identity and Mental Health Activism is the first comprehensive philosophical examination of the claims and demands of Mad Pride and mad-positive activism (Mad activism). Contemporary developments in mental health activism pose a radical challenge to psychiatric and societal understandings of madness. Mad activism rejects the language of mental illness and mental disorder, reclaims the term “mad,” and reverses its negative connotations. Not content with reform of psychiatry, activists seek cultural change in the way madness is viewed, and demand recognition of madness as grounds for culture or identity. But can madness constitute such grounds? Is it possible to reconcile delusions, passivity phenomena, and the discontinuity of self often seen in certain mental health conditions with the requirements for identity formation presupposed by the theory of recognition? And, in any case, why does recognition matter, and how should society respond to such demands? Locating itself in the philosophy of psychiatry, Mad studies, and activist literatures, and in the tradition of philosophical thought on recognition, freedom, and identity that begins with Georg Hegel and Immanuel Kant, and continues into the present day through the work of Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth, Nancy Fraser, Kwame Appiah, and Richard Rorty, the book develops a rich theoretical framework for understanding, justifying, and responding to Mad activism’s demand for recognition. It charts a pathway for reconciling opponents and supporters of Mad activism and, ultimately, for reconciling madness and society.

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Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always … More Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.
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