Research fellow: Alice Guerrieri
Role: R2 - Recognised Researcher
Project: “Metaphor and Epistemic Injustice in Mental Illness”
Scientific manager: Prof.ssa Francesca Ervas
Area: 11 - Scienze storiche, filosofiche, pedagogiche e psicologiche - SSD M-FIL/05
Check end date: 01/01/2026.

Alice Guerrieri is a research fellow in the Project PRIN 2022 PNRR Metaphor and Epistemic Injustice in Mental Illness.

The project aims to investigate the phenomenon of epistemic injustice in metaphorical communication within the context of mental illness. Specifically, by focusing on schizophrenia, the study analyzes the cognitive and embodied mechanisms underlying the failure to attribute credibility (testimonial injustice) and interpretative capacities (hermeneutical injustice) to people with mental illness when they communicate their condition to others using metaphorical language rather than literal language. The goal is to highlight the role of metaphor as a valuable resource for fostering better attunement between the speaker and the interpreter and for preventing or overcoming epistemic injustice that may arise in the communication of illness. Indeed, metaphor, particularly in its most creative and imagery-rich components, allows people with schizophrenia to express their relationship with the illness. Moreover, metaphorical language is also essential for other individuals involved (such as family members, doctors, healthcare professionals, and people in social life) to access what the speaker considers meaningful when articulating their experience of illness.