About this Event
Book launch event for the second edition of (2026).
This event will involve a short talk from two of the book's editors - Dr Idil Abdillahi (Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada) and Professor Bren LeFrancois (Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada) - introducing this new book and reflecting on emerging discussions in the field of Mad Studies. There will also be a brief introduction from Dr Robert Chapman (independent scholar and co-founder of Books from Below). The talk will be followed by a discussion/Q&A chaired by Dr Órla Meadhbh Murray (Northumbria University Newcastle).
There will be some free light refreshments and one free copy of the book which will be given away via raffle.
While there are only ~25 tickets available for this event, there will be a larger related public lecture on Friday 20th November 13:00-14:30 in CCE1 (Northumbria University) (ticket link and more information here). All are welcome at both events, which will cover slightly different topics.
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About the book:
Over the decade since the first edition of Mad Matters was published, Mad Studies has exploded into a new field of study across Canada and around the world. This thoroughly updated and expanded second edition continues the legacy of the groundbreaking first edition by presenting more critical voices that convey the lived experiences of psychiatrized people and which challenges dominant understandings of “mental illness.” Featuring contributions from scholars, mad activists, and psychiatric survivors, this groundbreaking collection amplifies critical perspectives on psychiatry and mental health.
This second edition features substantial updates, including revised chapters with expanded analysis of race and racism, as well as fifteen new chapters exploring topics such as anti-Blackness and Indigeneity madness. A new foreword situates the work within the evolving field of mad studies.
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This event is funded by Northumbria University Faculty of Society and Culture and organised by Órla Meadhbh Murray (Sociology/Institutional Ethnography Research Group, Northumbria University Newcastle) - for more information, please email: [email protected]
Event venue & nearby stays
Books From Below, 37 Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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