ABSTRACT
Mad Studies is the orienting framework of this research. In this chapter, I discuss elements of Mad Studies. I explicate sanism—the discrimination that targets people with experiences of Madness and distress. I explore the effects of sanism on Mad individuals and communities which includes epistemic injustice, stereotyping, and stigma. Subsequently, I examine what Mad Studies facilitates. This in/discipline foregrounds lived experiences and centers Mad people in discourse. It refuses epistemic injustice and views Madness as a way of knowing. Mad Studies rebukes sanism and resists stereotypes and stigma. It is inherently intersectional and problematizes the pervasive whiteness in Mad research and activism. Mad Studies offers significant critiques of psy- frameworks, while also recognizing that Mad experiences and responses to psy- frameworks are multiple and not monolithic. Ultimately, it considers possible factors that influence or cause Madness and distress. Following Mad Studies, I center the voices of people with experiences of Madness and distress. These 15 participants are all music educators, and their insights help to shape an understanding of Madness and distress in music education. I conclude this chapter with a discussion of what Mad Studies, as described here, offers music educators. The title of this chapter riffs off of Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). “Just what is critical race theory and what’s it doing in a nice field like education?” Qualitative Studies in Education, 11(1), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/095183998236863" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://doi.org/10.1080/095183998236863
