Tina Rahimy – Chair 1 Welcome to the 21st International Conference of the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis with the theme Stranger in the City.
This is the third day, a public day, of the conference and the theme today is Psychosis, Forced migration, Society and Politics, my favourite subjects. My name is Tina Rahimy and I am honoured to be your Chairwoman for the day. I am an expert in political philosophy, I studied at the faculty facility of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and obtained my PhD researching various forms of political actions with regard to inclusion and exclusion. I have been involved in research and education at the Erasmus University and various colleges and have been active in urban related art and culture. At this moment I am a Professor in Social Work at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. This is how I usually introduce myself in the academic world, as an academic expert. What I often avoid to say is that I am not only an expert in political philosophy because of the books I have written and read but mainly because of the life I have. Being an expert through life is often a disadvantage for the acknowledgement as an expert in the academic world, or at least that has been mu experience. Today however is a remarkable day for me, I am truly honoured to be your chairwoman today because of our speakers this morning and this afternoon. As you will se these individuals are not only men and women but also, in a sense, heroes for me. They have the courage to connect life experiences to thinking and thought, to life. So let me introduce myself in the spirit of these individuals. My name is Tina Rahimy, I am honoured to be your chairwoman today, I had a shitty past! To some people I am a miracle because I have not given in to my so-called traumas and for some I live in permanent denial. I would say that I am neither, not a miracle or a denying subject. I am a human being. Human beings never do what we expect them to do. On this public day I would love to welcome you. We individuals, with unique stories and life experiences. I would love to invite everybody to share these experiences in an open setting while recognising, acknowledging, respecting and appreciating differences.