“Mental Illness and Power”
A Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis
February 21-22, 2014
Deadline for proposals: November 15th, 2013
Keynote Speakers:
David M. Goodman (Lesley University)
Mary Beth Mader (University of Memphis)
Website: http://www.memphis.edu/philosophy/pgsa_2014.php
As much historical and theoretical work has shown, the way people have understood mental illness throughout history is co-occurrent with shifting power relations within which human beings understand themselves. Recently many issues surrounding mental illness have become prominent in public discourse. To name a few examples, the controversial publication of the DSM 5; attempts by legislators to allow mental health professionals to refuse services based on values; and the investigations of the mental health of mass murderers. These issues have all been featured prominently on the nightly news while at the same time drawing the attention of public intellectuals and politicians. With this in mind, it seems that now is an opportune moment to open a dialogue about the relationship of mental illness and power.
The Philosophy Graduate Student Association welcomes papers from philosophers of all stripes and theoretically interested scholars in other fields, including counseling, psychology, psychiatry, history, and political science.
Please prepare a proposal (500-700 words in length) for blind review in either .pdf or Microsoft Word file format. Send the file as an attachment to an e-mail with a body containing the title and the author’s name, contact information, institutional affiliation and status (graduate student, faculty member, independent researcher, etc.) If accepted, final papers need to be suitable for a 20 minute presentation. Proposals should be submitted to memphispgsa@gmail.com.