Disability Politics and Theory

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781552664735
• ISBN10: 1552664732
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2012-03-01
• Publisher: Fernwood Pub Co Ltd

Summary

Providing an accessible introduction to the subject, this concise survey explores the concept of disability as it has been conceived from the late 19th century to the present. The examination looks at when, how, and why new categories of disability are created, describing how capitalism benefits from and enforces disabled people's oppression. Critiquing the model that currently dominates the disciplinethe social model of disabilitythis book offers an alternative: the radical disability model, which builds on the original while drawing from more recent schools of radical thought, particularly feminism and critical race theory. The study reveals how this new model emphasizes the role of intersecting oppressions in the marginalization of disabled people, stressing the importance of addressing disability both independently and in conjunction with other oppressions. Intertwining theoretical and historical analysis with personal experience, this reference is a poignant portrayal of disabled people in Canada and the United Statesand a radical call for social and economic justice.

Author Biography

A. J. Withers is a former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), has been involved in radical organizing—specifically within the radical disability, antiglobalization, and antipoverty movements—for 15 years, and lives in Toronto, Ontario.