Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Anthropology of Disability

description366 papers
group20,209 followers
lightbulbAbout this topic
The anthropology of disability is the study of how different cultures understand, experience, and respond to disability. It examines the social, political, and economic factors that shape perceptions of disability, as well as the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities within various cultural contexts.
lightbulbAbout this topic
The anthropology of disability is the study of how different cultures understand, experience, and respond to disability. It examines the social, political, and economic factors that shape perceptions of disability, as well as the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities within various cultural contexts.

Key research themes

1. How do anthropological and ethnographic methods contribute to understanding the lived experience and sociocultural constructions of disability?

This research theme explores how qualitative methodologies, particularly ethnography and autoethnography, provide insights into the embodied, social, and political dimensions of disability. It highlights the unique contributions of anthropology in revealing culturally situated meanings, lived experiences, and identity negotiations of disabled people, especially where disability intersects with race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Such approaches contest reductive medical or social models by centering disabled people's voices and everyday realities.

Key finding: Uses autoethnographic methods leveraging verbatim transcripts from accommodations to analyze the author's experiences with mobility and speech impairments, demonstrating how anthropological reflexivity and participant... Read more
by Yosef Wasihun and 
1 more
Key finding: Employs descriptive phenomenology through in-depth interviews with 15 disabled individuals in Ethiopia to unveil culturally specific lived experiences impacted by stigma, poverty, and social exclusion. The study reveals how... Read more
Key finding: Reviews three ethnographic works that expand disability anthropology by focusing on kinship reconfigurations, material affordances, and technological infrastructures shaping disability experiences in different cultural... Read more
Key finding: Utilizes ethnography to demonstrate how socioeconomic capital, gender, and disability discourses intersect to shape heterogeneous experiences of albinism in Tanzania. By contrasting public success narratives with ethnographic... Read more
Key finding: Synthesizes findings from a Wenner-Gren symposium to argue that disability is a universal social fact shaping conceptions of personhood and humanity. Emphasizes ethnographic methods for understanding cultural specificities of... Read more

2. How can disability be theoretically conceptualized beyond traditional medical and social models to capture the experiential and relational nature of impairment?

This theme investigates novel theoretical frameworks that reconceptualize disability as a lived, relational, and dynamic experience rather than a fixed trait or social category. Moving beyond dominant medical and social models, recent scholarship proposes experiential, phenomenological, and decolonial accounts that foreground subjective impediments, affective dimensions, and socio-cultural relationalities. These theoretical innovations advance more nuanced understandings of disablement and embodiment that challenge Eurocentric and normative assumptions.

Key finding: Develops an adverbial, experiential account of disability emphasizing it as a personally irremediable impediment to daily living rather than as a 'thing' caused or embodied. This relational theory differentiates itself from... Read more
Key finding: Critiques the Eurocentric underpinnings of the 'bodyminds' concept in disability studies, arguing it reproduces limited Cartesian and secular frameworks of personhood. Drawing from ethnographic research in Tanzania and Sylvia... Read more
Key finding: Through hermeneutical analyses, traces continuity and development in Christian theological conceptions of disability from Augustine to Aquinas. Challenges interpretations that undermine medieval openness to disability by... Read more
Key finding: Presents a theological-philosophical analysis of Aquinas’ reflection on bodily vulnerability, resurrection, and the eschatological significance of infirmities. It argues that Aquinas envisions disability and bodily defects as... Read more

3. What are the intersections between disability, identity politics, and emancipatory methodologies within queer, critical, and decolonial disability studies?

This theme addresses the politicized dimensions of disability via critical, queer, and decolonial lenses that challenge normative, ableist frameworks and traditional anthropological methods. It emphasizes the role of intersectionality in exposing how race, gender, colonialism, and capitalism intertwine with disability. It advocates for transformative methodologies such as 'cripping ethnography' and calls for an expanded, inclusive scholarship that centers marginalized disabled voices and rejects dominant academic paradigms.

Key finding: Argues for reconceptualizing anthropological methodology through crip theory to dismantle entrenched ableism and colonial legacies in fieldwork. It challenges white, individualistic research norms by advocating for... Read more
Key finding: Provides a comprehensive review of how critical disability studies (CDS) and anthropology converge and diverge, especially regarding research originating from or about the Global South. Highlights the necessity for CDS to... Read more
Key finding: Calls for greater engagement between mobility and disability studies, articulating disability studies as a critical, activist, and emancipatory field. Emphasizes the intersection of disability with social movements and... Read more

All papers in Anthropology of Disability

This article analyzes a recently published memoir entitled Wczoraj byłaś zła na zielono (Yesterday You Were Angry in Green) by Eliza Kącka. The memoir tells the story of raising an autistic child by a nondisabled mother. The article... more
This paper offers a counter-narrative to the stereotype of people with physical and cognitive impairments being less inclined to participate in athletic activities. It contributes to the affirmative model proposed by Swain and French,... more
P ojęcie "autyzm" użyte zostało po raz pierwszy w 1910 r. przez szwajcar- skiego psychiatrę Eugena Bleulera w formie objawu choroby psychicznej -schizofrenii 1 . W tym kontekście oznaczało skupienie się na "ja" poprzez wycofanie się z... more
Dos años después del exitoso estreno de XXY (2007), como recordarán, filme argentino de la joven directora Lucía Puenzo, aparece, también en Argentina, una nueva película, El último verano de la boyita, de la actriz, directora y guionista... more
Formas de definição e teorização antropológica do corpo; corpo, subjetividade e cultura; sociedade, classificação e corpo; ritualização e simbolismo corporal; corpo, representação e identidades; Corpo, estigma e moralidades; prática e... more
O artigo desenvolve uma reflexão crítica com a deficiência para compreender a diversidade da percepção e das formas corporais de estar no mundo, convidando a um deslocamento do corpo normativo, conforme os contornos que lhe são impostos... more
Critical disability studies" (CDS) is an interdisciplinary field of research that examines social, political, economic, racial, gendered and historical constructions of bodily non-normativity across different geopolitical areas and... more
About Baba Amte's Anandvan and Somnath projects, our excursion to create curriculum and assessments
What does it mean to make film and media accessible at a time when access itself is increasingly commodified, manipulated, and surveilled? As generative AI, predictive algorithms, and automated access tools become central to audiovisual... more
The situation of persons diagnosed with locked-in syndrome (LIS) raises a significant legal challenge. As a consequence of a brainstem stroke, they are quadriplegic and lack articulate speech but have normal visual perception, bodily... more
No capítulo "Antissocialidade Queer e o Devir-Deficiente: Um Projeto de Relações Capacitistas?", Fiona Kumari Campbell critica a abordagem tradicional da deficiência como algo a ser normalizado ou incluso dentro de estruturas... more
Drawing on the experiences of mothers raising children with Down syndrome in Amman, Jordan, this article approaches disability stigma as a phenomenon that attached to meaningful relations of kinship and community. These same relations,... more
ידוע גם בשם "החומר האפל". ניסיון להסביר תופעות פיסיקליותשאין להן הסבר מקובל המאמר מציע הבנה חלופית של "חלל ריק" כתווך פעיל ומלא חלקיקים יסודיים חסרי תכונות פיזיקליות קונבנציונליות. מוצע בו תיאור של חלקיק יסודי המאפיין את החלל הריק –בעל... more
Drawing on intersectional analytics, this article examines how socioeconomic capital, gender and discourses of disability shape experiences and practices of albinism in Tanzania. The analysis juxtaposes the widely circulated public... more
A pandemia provoca práticas de solidariedade e o protagonismo social do MST. Também reafirma a importância da presença do Estado e de políticas públicas, como o SUS, para enfrentar a propagação do vírus e a naturalização de... more
Salvación y desierto en el «irredento agro de nuestro suelo»: Genealogías coloniales del discurso medioambiental y el imaginario territorial franquista .
Este texto apresenta o contexto e os objetivos da mesa "Imagens e Religião", realizada durante a XX Jornadas sobre Alternativas Religiosas na América Latina, em 2022. Organizada por Rodrigo Toniol, a atividade propôs um diálogo entre os... more
How do the tools and processes of disability assessment fragment, quantify, and measure bodies, body parts, and physical capacities? How do these medical and legal forms of compartmentalization translate physical capacity into a... more
Given the historical tension between disability and educational institutions, this project centers disability in its rearticulation of social justice-oriented college pedagogy. Rooted in critical disability studies, this thesis proposes a... more
Empowerment can be considered a traveling concept, present in several spheres from community psychology to international development, with different definitions, theories, and applications. It became salient in interventions targeting... more
The transition to industrial regimes has produced new categories of people deemed "unfit" for labor. Even if these boundaries are more porous nowadays, contributions to this Special Issue reveal continuities in how people struggle for a... more
מחקר זה עוסק בקשר שבין דימוי עצמי לשיפוט אסתטי. במחקר נמדד הדימוי העצמי של הנבדקים, ולאחר מכן הנבדקים התבקשו לשפוט את יופיים של אנשים אחרים.
Dedico este conteúdo a todas as pessoas com deficiência, na figura da Tabata Contri, que me ensinou a nunca desistir dos meus sonhos. À minha sócia Juliana Ramalho e ao sócio Dulcídio Almeida, por me ensinarem a me valorizar. A toda a... more
Aos MONITORES, voluntários aos quais devemos a realização deste evento. Aos músicos das bandas Revolver e The Grogs, Ao Renato, da Casa di Noca.
M aria Reimann była wybitną polską antropolożką i badaczką relacji rodzinnych. W ramach Interdyscyplinarnego Zespołu Badań nad Dzieciństwem na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim uczestniczyła w projektach badawczych dotyczących nowych technologii... more
cine como conjuntos de prácticas y discursos esenciales e interrelacionados en los procesos de construcción y funcionamiento de las sociedades contemporáneas. Con esta premisa, analizamos los diferentes tipos de representaciones de las... more
This article aims to act as an important and politically grounded counternarrative to the dominant discourse of disability, having the potential to unravel the myth of normalcy that undergirds so many of the exclusionary practices today.... more
In this paper, presented as the Fides et Ratio Lecture at Saint Anselm College, I address the question of what it means to suffer well. That there is a way to suffer well implies that suffering is not a privation and hence not, as such,... more
In critical disability studies and crip theory, a key intervention has been to challenge Cartesian dualism by using terms such as bodyminds, body-minds, mind/bodies, and other hybrids. While the concept of ‘bodyminds’ integrates physical... more
Atribuição-CompartilhaIgual 4.0 Internacional (CC BY--SA 4.0) Esta licença permite que outros remixem, adaptem e criem a partir do seu trabalho, mesmo para fins comerciais, desde que lhe atribuam o devido crédito e que licenciem as novas... more
Apesar de ter um sistema de saúde relativamente bem colocado para combater a COVID-19, o Brasil tem hoje uma das maiores taxas de mortalidade do mundo. Frequentemente visto como um problema de coordenação entre os diferentes níveis de... more
Neste capítulo, não faremos uma revisão da literatura sobre a relação da antropologia com o conceito de fronteira, abordagem que já tem sido trabalhada por outras autoras (Donnan, Wilson, 1994; Van Houtum et al, 2005; Radu, 2012). No... more
QUEIRÓS, Francisco Aquinei Timóteo; SOUZA, Shelton Lima de. Por uma proposta de reflexão de saberes teórico-metodológicos: subjetividade e afeto na pesquisa acadêmica. In: QUEIRÓS, Francisco Aquinei Timóteo; SOUZA, Shelton Lima de.... more
The present work aims to discuss the training of Geography teachers in the light of new epistemologies that are not Eurocentric. The result of bibliographical research and analysis, in which classic authors of traditional Geography,... more
Resumen: Los incipientes medios de comunicación de masas, nacidos a finales del siglo XIX, fueron uno de los principales instrumentos empleados por las metrópolis europeas para dar a conocer los territorios recién incorporados en África.... more
Resumen: Los incipientes medios de comunicación de masas, nacidos a finales del siglo XIX, fueron uno de los principales instrumentos empleados por las metrópolis europeas para dar a conocer los territorios recién incorporados en África.... more
Based on an ethnography of parasurfing, this article adopts an anthropological perspective to explore the place of people with physical disabilities in our society. It seeks to understand the transformation from a bruised, sleeping body... more
A Giulia. In memoriam Ogni anno si ripete in tutte le scuole del Regno uno stesso rituale che, benché oramai di routine, lascia innegabile come al contrario la coscienza comune debba rimanere vigile e pronta. Tuttavia, rispetto... more
The document tells the story of Stefano, who finds himself taking care of Ludovica's brother, Andrea, suffering from Down syndrome. The story highlights the joy and unpredictability of Andrea, challenging the prejudices. The text also... more
The document reflects on food, nutrition and sharing of food in relation to disability. The author shares his personal experiences regarding his dependence on others to eat and like this has led to greater intimacy with those who assist... more
The document "Toschi__Moral_and_Material_inheritano.pdf" speaks of the moral and material legacy of people with disabilities. The importance of preparing parents and families to guarantee a safe future for their disabled children, even... more
O ingresso de estudantes com deficiência na universidade pública por meio do sistema de cotas tem sido ao mesmo tempo um desafio e uma grande oportunidade para que seja feita uma avaliação e uma autocrítica das políticas de formação... more
Ключевые слова инвалидность, стигматизация, гендер, брак, Россия, Казахстан, Израиль Аннотация В статье исследуются жизненные стратегии женщин с ограниченными возможностями здоровья (ОВЗ), стремящихся найти супруга/жизненного партнера и... more
Replacing the project manager (RPM) during IT project is a known phenomenon, but surprisingly, few studies have investigated the issue. To improve understanding of the situation in the IT field, we propose a research agenda that aims to... more
The content discusses the challenge of being identified by one's disability rather than personal attributes. It recounts an incident where a journalist's race was overlooked in a description, highlighting the quest for true equality.... more
No boletim n.60, João Teixeira Lopes (FLUP) discute, a partir da situação de pandemia em Portugal, como a população pode ser afetada pelo isolamento social de diferentes maneiras, principalmente diante da ausência de suporte institucional... more
В этой вводной статье (к специальному разделу журнала «Вестник Института востоковедения РАН») автор кратко описывает проблемы изучения инвалидности и людей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья (ОВЗ), в том числе в странах и культурах... more
Para citar esta versão, utilize a seguinte referência: MISSAILIDIS, A. M. F.; CARDARETTI, C. V. G.; SANTANA, E. S.; LOPES JUNIOR, P. C. S.; MAGALHAES, T. L. S. Eventos acadêmicos como ferramentas de ruptura da hegemonia de produção... more
Este artículo describe y analiza cómo personas con discapacidad experimentan sus movilidades en un territorio rural del Sur de Chile. A través de un diseño etnográfico, se aplicaron entrevistas y observaciones a las personas, sus familias... more
Download research papers for free!