We are a majority mad-identified, peer-reviewed academic journal that aims to promote the theory and discipline of Mad Studies. Mad Studies is a field that explores the experience, history, politics, culture, and discourses of us, psychiatric survivors, consumers, ex-patients, people who are disabled, or otherwise labelled 'mentally ill'. We are proudly majority mad-identified, but also include folks with other lived experiences, with a critical perspective on madness.
Academia and academic journals are often a space of exclusion – of mad voices and critical voices – but also of people whose path in life has not conformed to a traditional academic career, or who haven’t had access to formal higher education, academic spaces, or ways of communicating. It is our intention to foster a space that is inclusive of mad voices and mad thinking, including voices that might be otherwise excluded. To this end, we think of ourselves as a community – of mad and critical thinking – rather than a faceless journal. For more information, visit our website or the IMSJ page.