Whose Mind Matters? Ethics, Intersectionality and Injustice in Mental Health
15 May 2027
2:00-5:00pm
Rewley House 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA
Event status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
15 May 2027
Study Format:
In-person day/weekend
Fees:
£60.00
This event examines core ethical challenges that arise in mental health theory and practice through the lenses of intersectionality and epistemic injustice. We will explore how social categories such as gender, race, class, and sexuality shape experiences of mental distress, access to care, and interactions with mental health systems. Drawing on contemporary philosophical debates and real‑world case studies, the event investigates the ways in which some voices are marginalised, dismissed, or silenced within clinical encounters and broader societal narratives about mental health.
We will consider questions such as: How do overlapping structures of oppression influence the diagnosis, treatment, and perception of mental illness? What forms of injustice arise when patients’ testimonies or lived experiences are undervalued or ignored? How should mental health professionals and institutions respond to these injustices? By integrating philosophical analysis with ethical reflection, this course invites you to critically evaluate mental health practices and reflect on more inclusive, just, and responsive models of care.
Please note:
- Due to the nature of the contents of this event, it is unsuitable for under-18-year-olds.
- This event will close to enrolments at 23:59 on 12 May 2027.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Accommodation
If you wish to stay with us before and/or after the event, please contact our Residential Centre for availability and discounted rates.
Call +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk
Our accommodationour accommodation at Rewley House in Wellington Square has been rated as 4-Star Campus Accommodation under Visit England. All bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished with tea/coffee making facilities, Freeview television, private bath/shower rooms and free WiFi. For more details see our accommodation information.
Recommended reading
Crenshaw, K., “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color” (Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1991).
Abi‑Jaoudé, A. and Arnouse, M. (eds.), Critical Inquiries for Social Justice in Mental Health (Routledge, 2023).
Grzanka, P. R., Flores, M. J., VanDaalen, R. A., and Velez, G., “Intersectionality in Psychology: Translational Science for Social Justice” (Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 6(4), 2020).
Baiasu, R. and Messas, G., “Contextualising mental health: interdisciplinary contributions to a new model for tackling social differences and inequalities in mental healthcare”. Philosophical Psychology, 1–21, 2025.
Programme details
1.45pm
Registration at Rewley House reception
2pm
Power, Inequality, and Lived Experience
3.15pm
Tea/coffee break
3.45pm
Voice, Credibility, and Marginalisation
5pm
End of day
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Event fee (includes tea/coffee) | £60.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Payment
Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.
Dr Roxana Baiasu – Tutor
Apart from being a Departmental Tutor at Oxford Lifelong Learning, Roxana is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Birmingham. Prior to this she was a lecturer at the Universities of Vienna and Leeds, and a Leverhulme Fellow at Sussex University. She has written extensively in the areas of philosophy of mental health and illness, feminist philosophy, Post-Kantian metaphysics and epistemology, and philosophy of religion. She is currently writing a book on feminist philosophy commissioned by Wiley. She edited (with G. Bird and A.W. Moore) Contemporary Kantian Metaphysics Today: New Essays on Time and Space (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), and published in, among others, Philosophical Psychology, The Southern Journal of Philosophy, IJPS, Research in Phenomenology and Sophia.
Module code: O26P102PHJ
Please use the ‘Book’ button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.
