Conflux - ‘We’re all mad here’: Queering Mental Health 

25th Apr 2022 12:00pm-4:00pm 

This workshop is offered as part of a Techne Conflux, an extended training, development, exhibition or performance programme which aims to enhance research or intellectual skills, or facilitate the sharing of expertise amongst doctoral students in the arts and humanities. 

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/were-all-mad-here-queering-mental-health-registration-274747586427

This half-day theoretical workshops focuses specifically on mental health, exploring ways in which queer theory and queer viewpoints are central to thinking and questioning normative embodiment, including on a cognitive level. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat informs Alice that she must be mad or else she would not have journeyed to Wonderland where everyone is mad. But what does it mean to be 'mad' and how is madness linked to creative imaginings of health and belonging? Furthermore, how can queer theory further our understanding of the relationship between identity and mental health? Participants of this workshop will explore the intersections between queerness, space, and mental health through the close analysis of literary extracts, performance clips, and art spanning across time from the medieval period to the present day.