Abstract
Sanism is an oppressive system which discriminates against people who are labelled or identify as Mad. This article offers tools to describe the structure, operating modes and dynamics of sanism. It thereby refers to the concept of white fragility. I observe sanism on three levels: The structural frame, aspects of individual interactions and issues of intrapersonal processes. Sane fragility occurs on each level. It manifests in the fragile state of sanity as a whole, the lack of stamina or strength a lot of sane people display when confronted with Mad people and in madphobia - the fear of becoming Mad oneself and therefore othering Mad people. I conclude that sanism is an overlooked type of oppression with multilayered dynamics and intersections with fatal consequences. I am a Mad, Queer person and this article contains Mad storytelling along with insights gathered from Black feminism, Queer Theory and Mad Studies.
Published Version
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