Overview
This lecture introduces critical disability theory, tracing its roots in critical theory, its interdisciplinary intersections, and its efforts to analyze and resist ableism through intersectional, philosophical, and activist approaches.
Foundations of Critical Disability Theory
- Emerges from critical theory, influenced by Adorno, Horkheimer, and Frankfurt School concepts.
- Exposes the socially constructed nature of disability and challenges ideas deemed natural or immutable.
- Prioritizes praxis—linking theory with social change—and self-reflexivity about historical context.
- Engages with Continental philosophy, psychoanalysis, and neo-Marxism.
- Seeks coalitions with feminist theory and other critical perspectives.
- Central focus is on ableism, defined as discrimination and preference for able-bodiedness.
- Denaturalizes both disability and impairment, rejecting their presentation as strictly medical or individual.
Tensions within Traditional Disability Studies
- Traditional disability studies are rooted in the social model and civil rights frameworks.
- Criticized for narrow focus on political inclusion, liberal approaches, and exclusion of pain, suffering, and non-Western perspectives.
- Excludes certain disabilities (e.g., cognitive, linguistic) and focuses on normative voices.
- Debates exist over whether critical disability theory is a radical shift or a maturing of disability studies.
Interdisciplinary Approaches
- Crip Theory: Integrates queer and disability theories; addresses passing, coming out, sexuality, and futurity in relation to disability.
- Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit): Explores intersection of racism and ableism; emphasizes multidimensional identities and activist resistance.
- Black Disability Studies: Highlights the racialized nature of disability and critiques special education and pedagogy.
- Indigenous and Postcolonial Theory: Addresses unique barriers faced by disabled indigenous persons; critiques Western models and promotes community-based solutions.
Philosophical Approaches
- Foucauldian Analyses: Use Foucault’s concepts of biopower and governmentality to historicize disability and critique the impairment/disability distinction.
- Other Continental Methods: Employ phenomenology (focus on embodiment), existentialism, Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblages, and psychoanalysis to analyze disability.
- Push back against medicalized, individualizing, or negative views of disability.
Activism and Praxis
- Direct activism links theory to real-world changes, especially online and through social media.
- Key activists and collectives include Vilissa Thompson, Alice Wong, Mia Mingus, Lydia X. Z. Brown, and organizations like the Harriet Tubman Collective and Krip-Hop Nation.
- Focus areas include policy influence, community support, storytelling, and intersectional advocacy.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Critical Disability Theory — A framework analyzing disability as culturally, socially, and politically constructed.
- Ableism — Discrimination and systemic preference for able-bodiedness, marginalizing disabled individuals.
- DisCrit (Dis/ability Critical Race Studies) — Interdisciplinary field examining intersecting oppressions of race and disability.
- Crip Theory — Theoretical approach blending queer and disability perspectives to challenge societal norms.
- Denaturalization — Exposing presumed 'natural' concepts (like disability) as culturally and historically constructed.
- Assemblage — A Deleuzo-Guattarian idea describing dynamic, relational networks (not fixed entities).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review core principles of critical disability theory and ableism.
- Explore case studies or readings on intersectional analysis in disability (e.g., DisCrit, Crip Theory).
- Research contributions by key activists or collectives mentioned in the notes.