Progressive Connexions ~ Interdisciplinary Life
Interdisciplinary Research, Publishing and Explorations
Madness and the Asylum
9th Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference
***Saturday 14th May 2022***
Online
Key Topics
The event offers a platform for participants across all disciplinary, professional, practitioner, vocational and other walks of life to engage in dialogues that explore all facets of madness. The organizers welcome a 300-word proposal for presentations on any related subject, including by not limited to:
- 1. The Value of Madness or Why is it that We Need Madness?~ Critical explorations beyond the binary of madness/sanity~ Ever present yet ever changing~ The incessant repetition of madness and its re-emergence in new forms~ Profound attraction and desire; fear of the abyss and the radical unknown~ Naming, defining and understanding the elusive
- 2. The Passion of Madness or Madness and the Emotions~ Love as madness; uncontrollable passion; unrestrainable love~ Passion and love as a remaking of life and self~ Gender and madness; the feminine and the masculine~ Anger, resentment, revenge, hate, evil~ I would rather vomit, thank you; revulsion, badness and refusing to comply
- 3. The Boundaries of Madness or Resisting Normalisation~ Madness, sanity and the multiple states in between~ Being out of your mind, crazy, deranged … yet, perfectly sane~ Deviating from the normal; defining the self against the normal~ Control, self-control and the pull of the abyss~ When the insane becomes normal; when evil reins social life
- 4. Lunatics and the Asylum or Power and the Politics of Madness~ The social allure and fear of madness; the institutions of confining mad people~ Servicing normality by castigating the insane and marginalizing lunatics~ Medicine, psychiatry, psychology, law and the constructions of madness
~ Contributions of the social sciences to the making and the critique of the making of madness
- ~ Representations, explanations and the critique of madness from the humanities and the arts
- 5. Creativity, Critique and Cutting Edge~ Madness as genius, outstanding, out of the ordinary, spectacularly brilliant~ The art of madness; the science of madness~ Music, painting, dance, theatre: it is crazy to think of art without madness~ The language and communication of madness: who can translate?~ Creation as an unfolding of madness
- 6. Unrestrained and Boundless or The Liberating Promise of Madness~ Metaphors of feeling free, unrestrained, capable, lifted from reality~ Madness as clear-sightedness, as opening up possibilities, as re-visioning of the world~ The future, the prophetic, the unknown; the epic, the heroic and the tragic~ The unreachable and untouchable knowledge of madness~ The insanity of not loving madness
- 7. Lessons for Self and Other or Lessons for Life about and from Madness~ Cultural and social constructions of madness; images of the mad, crazy, insane, lunatic, abnormal~ What is real? Who defines reality? Learning from madness how to cope with reality~ Recognising madness in oneself; relativising madness in others~ Love, intimacy, care and the small spaces of madness~ Critical and ethical implosions of normality and normalness; sane in insane places and insane in sane places
What To Send
The aim of this inclusive interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling, performances, poster presentations, problem-solving sessions, case studies, panels, q&a’s, round-tables etc. Creative responses to the subject, such as poetry/prose, short film screenings/original drama, installations and alternative presentation styles that engage the audience and foster debate are particularly encouraged. Please feel free to put forward proposals that you think will get the message across, in whatever form.
At the end of the conference we will be exploring ways in which we can develop the discussions and dialogues in new and sustainable inclusive interdisciplinary directions, including research, workshops, publications, public interest days, associations, developing courses etc which will help us make sense of the topics discussed during the meeting. There is an intention, subject to the discussions which emerge during the course of the meeting, to form a selective innovative interdisciplinary publication to engender further research and collaboration.
300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 26th November 2021. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chairs.
All submissions will be at least double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Team, the Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.
You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 10th December 2021.
If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 8th April 2022.
Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) type of proposal e.g. paper presentation, workshop, panel, film, performance, etc, f) body of proposal, g) up to 10 keywords.
E-mails should be entitled: Madness Submission
Where To Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chairs and the Project Administrator:
Kasia Szmigiero (Organising Chair): szmigierko@hotmail.com
Lorraine Rumson (Project Administrator): praguemadness@progressiveconnexions.net
Details and Information
Registration Fees
The Registration Fee is £75 and includes:
~ conference registration fee
~ online registration
~ online abstract and programme submissions
~ Book of Abstracts
~ Delegate Pack (online)
~ participation in project output discussion session
~ discounted rates for any outputs emerging from the event
~ discounted rate for attendance at further Progressive Connexions activities and events
The conferences, meetings and events we organise are not single ‘one-off’ events. They are part of a continual stream of conversations, activities and projects which grow and evolve in different directions. At the conclusion of every meeting, the question needs to be considered: What happens next? After all, there is little personal, educational or professional benefit in gathering people together from around the world and sharing all sorts of fascinating conversations if nothing further is going to happen as a result!
The possible ranges of ‘outputs’ which can productively flow from our meetings is a dynamic response to the dialogues, issues and engagements that take place during the events themselves. And as our meetings are attended by folks who come from different backgrounds, contexts, professions and vocations, what people would like to see developed as a result of our time spent together will always be potentially diverse, fluid and appropriate to what took place.
One range of possible outputs involves publication as a way of continuing the work of a project. Where publishing is a possibility, it is directly referenced in the Call for Papers, Presentations and Participation. Other possible outputs may include, but are not limited to:
~ social media platforms such as Facebook pages and groups, blogs, wikis, Twitter, as vehicles for continuing dialogues, disseminating knowledge and information and bringing new people into the work of the project
~ reviews; reports; policy statements; position papers/statements; declarations of principles
~ proposals for meetings, workshops, courses, schools
~ collaboration gateways, platforms and media
~ personal and professional development opportunities: faculty development; mentoring programmes; cultural cruises; consultancies; summer schools; personal enrichment programmes
The range of outputs is dependent on how little or how much you would like to become involved. Don’t let the end of the meeting signal the end of your involvement with the project. Please get involved, bounce ideas around, think out loud – we’d love to hear about what you’d like to do and are always happy to talk about what is possible.
Payment Process
Participants must complete the online booking form by Friday 21st January 2022 at the latest.
After the deadline has expired, an invoice will be drawn up and sent to you; the invoice will contain all the necessary information for you to pay by bank transfer, cheque, Paypal or credit card.
The invoice must be settled by Monday 7th March 2022.
It is the responsibility of delegates to ensure that payment is made by this date. Failure to receive payment will result in your booking being cancelled.
Payment Methods
There are a number of ways payment can be made.
Cheque
Payment can be made by cheque, in GBP (£ sterling) only and must be drawn against a bank with headquarters in the United Kingdom. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Progressive Connexions’ and sent, with a copy of the booking form, to:
Dr Rob Fisher
Progressive Connexions
Priory House
149b Wroslyn Road
Freeland
Oxfordshire. OX29 8HR
United Kingdom
We regret we cannot and will not accept cheques made payable in currencies other than GBP Sterling.
Bank Transfer Payment may be made using bank transfer. There will be an option to pay in either GBP (£ Sterling) or Euro (€). Full details to enable a bank transfer are made available on your conference invoice. If paying by this method, you must agree to pay all charges at the sending and receiving banks.
By Invoice
You may request that an invoice be sent to you which you may forward to your institution. It is your responsibility to ensure that the invoice is paid before the payment deadline.
Online
Your invoice will include a link to pay through a secure and encrypted online payment system. Please click the link to use this method.
Credit Card
Payment may also be made using credit card. We cannot accept American Express or Discovery as a form of payment.
Paypal
Payment may also be made using Paypal. If paying by this method please send us the email account connected with your Paypal account and we will forward you a request for payment.
IMPORTANT
We strongly recommend that all delegates take out some form of travel or other insurance in relation to any and all travel arrangements or accommodation booked in regard to the conference. This should include cancellation insurance in the event of unforeseen or unexpected circumstances.
All fees are payable in advance. No delegate will be permitted entry to the conference if an invoice is still unpaid.
We will be offering opportunities to have optional guided visits of locations in Prague and surrounding areas.
Further details to be released shortly.
What’s so Special?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.
A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.
A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.
An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.
An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.
Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.
Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.
Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network inspiring inclusive interdisciplinary research, publishing and collaboration
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