“Mad Pride France”

Abstract

The article seeks to position the first ever, French “Mad Pride” march, which took place in Paris in June 2014, in relation to the history of the wider, international, and predominantly Anglophone, Mad Pride movement, which began in Toronto in 1993. It seeks to understand why Mad Pride took so long to arrive in France, why it arrived when it did, and the influence of the Anglophone movement on it. It also explores the differing historical context and philosophical and political values that have made it specifically French. To this end, the article traces the recent history of France’s changing attitudes towards mental health issues, and notably their inclusion within the 2005 disability law. It examines the difficulties of simply including mental health issues within a social model of disability, and compares the movement, in France, towards a social model specific to mental distress, with movements in the UK and the USA. Finally, it returns to a consideration of the place of Mad Pride within the emerging...