Madly in Love: A Meditation on the Capacity of Love and Madness

<p>"Madly in Love" contends that madness is not merely a condition to be pathologized buta 'supernatural' universal energy that transcends realms, moving through and around all bodies and leaving profound bio-physiological imprints. This dissertation introduces the concept of neo- madness, which recognizes the intricate interplay between this ethereal energy and the corporeal, reshaping our understanding of mental health. This work calls for a radical reimagining of how we witness, honor, and engage with madness by adopting a neo-mad love discourse, methodology, and pedagogy. It centers critical love, a blend of empathy, compassion, and active critical engagement, as essential to creating sustainable justice movements. Through community workshops and events, this dissertation explores practical interventions and collective experiences, advocating for an inclusive and humanistic approach to madness that challenges the colonial, capitalist, and sanist frameworks that have historically marginalized mad voices. Rooted in the works of scholars and activists like James Baldwin, bell hooks, Lamarr Jurelle Bruce, and Therí A. Pickens, "Madly in Love" culminates in the introduction of the Mad Liberation Movement, a manifesto, and a call to action for building a neo-mad community grounded in radical love and collective liberation. "Madly in Love" is both a manifesto and a call to action.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Cultural Studies, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Arts and Humanities

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Jane, Sarah

Contributors dc:contributor

• David Luis-Brown
• Kimberly Drake

• community activism
• disability studies
• love
• mad studies
• minor literature
• trauma studies
• Psychology
• Social Work

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/907

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1933