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1ST INTERNATIONAL HEALTH HUMANITIES CONFERENCE 2010“Madness and Literature”The Institute of Mental Health is hosting The 1st International Health Humanities Conference at The University of Nottingham, UK from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th AUGUST 2010. The theme of the conference, Madness and Literature, seeks to bring critical focus to three areas:Literature, Psychiatry, PhilosophyReflecting the interdisciplinary work of the Institute of Mental Health, and the multifaceted nature of the conference’s theme, we invite the participation of colleagues from both the humanities and from clinical backgrounds who wish to participate in an exploration of the conceptions of “Madness and Literature”.  Furthermore, to be genuinely inclusive we encourage presentations arising from completed projects and work that is in progress or of an exploratory nature.The Institute of Mental Health welcomes abstracts of approximately 250 words in length for twenty-minute papers in English dealing with the themes outlined above. We would also welcome the organization of panels (consisting of three speakers and a moderator) dealing with specific issues related to the overall themes of the conference.  Issues to be considered at the conference may include:What are the critical intersections between literature, psychiatry and philosophy?How and why is psychiatry reflected and represented in fiction?In what ways do fiction and autobiography treat issues such as gender, ethnicity, age, economics, sexuality and power in psychiatry?How far can we pursue ideas concerning creativity and madness?How might debates about literature and madness influence or be influenced by other disciplines, such as anthropology and sociology?How can literature influence the education and practice of medical, health and allied disciplines?What can literary studies learn from the ‘psych’ disciplines?The Institute of Mental Health foresees the publication of papers (expanded, revised and submitted to a peer-review process) in one or more volumes post-conference, according to principles of intellectual and theoretical coherence that will give such publications editorial consistency.Please send your abstracts as a Word attachment by email to Paul Crawford - paul.crawford@nottingham.ac.uk by 5th February 2010.  For more informations, click here.