A Research Project by Damla Özkan
The aim of my dissertation is to shed light on the individual process of identity reevaluation in the context of diagnoses of mental illness and how this is narrated through pieces of life writing. The focus of the analysis is set on narratives of illness experience by authors diagnosed with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or depression. The selection of literature crosses genres and media in order to examine what narrative tools and aesthetics the different writing modes offer for the representation of psychosis. The goal of my dissertation is to show that by narrating and publishing the subjective experience of mental illness, authorship and sovereignty are gained in the process of identity formation.
Author: Damla Özkan