Law & Mental Health: Walking Side by Side
The Research Chair in Legal Pluralism and Comparative Law is proud to be associated with the Human Rights Research and Education Centre and with the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada to champion:
Law & Mental Health: Walking Side by Side
A large-scale interdisciplinary event taking place on:
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
4 to 6 p.m.
Agora – Jock-Turcot University Centre
(85 University Private, uOttawa)
All are welcome.
Lewis et Lucie – Photo credit : Jackie Hopfinger
A man is seated alone on a public bench. He speaks to passersby, hoping to maybe start up a conversation with them just for a moment, to get out of his head. He blurts out bits and pieces, a kaleidoscope of his memories; burdens, joys, hurt—a moving and entangled composition of his impressions on and through life. Beside him, a hidden woman: discreet, invisible. Who, in a low voice, screams inaudible fragments about herself. This tale, inspired by a poem by Saint-Denys-Garneau, reveals itself through the rhythm of their voices, bodies and solitude. The tension between strength and vulnerability in this movement, the suffering grace of those excluded, unfold like a leitmotif, that of all the stories we know all too well, but also know too little about. Lewis et Lucie, which will be interpreted by choreographers and dancers Jane Mappin and Daniel Firth, is a poetic recreation of social exclusion, solitude and burdens of life.
As expressed in this work, the law has long contributed to hiding, silencing and marginalizing those living with mental health issues. In recent years, this tricky path has taken a new turn, however: a questioning of mental health and its afflictions and, consequently, the connection between the law and these singularities, has proven necessary. How does one take notice of these lives, described to us by Mappin and Firth through their work?
To better understand and manage this relatedness, one must henceforth broaden the boundaries of the law. A fluid law, sensitive to otherness and to the sharing of perspectives must be envisioned in order to allow for a more anchored and concrete appreciation of the interactions in question. Among sociology, criminology, psychiatry, experiences and stories, the law is enriched and evolves. It is through this interdisciplinary experience that the law and mental health will finally be able to move forward side by side. This event takes place within this dialogue. Through the intersection of the participants’ voices and perspectives, “The law and mental health: Moving forward side by side” hopes to highlight those stories and experiences, related to the treatment of mental health, that need to be understood and considered by the law.
Ils m’ont dit – Photo credit : Michael Slobodian
To conclude, Natasha Bakht associate professor, Common Law Section of the University of Ottawa, will perform a choreography entitled “Pas de justice”, which deals with equality under the law.
