The New Politics of Disablement

242 Pages·2012·5.159 MB·English

by  Michael Oliver, Colin Barnes

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The New Politics of Disablement
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The New Politics of Disablement
Michael Oliver
and
Colin Barnes
* ©Michael Oliver 1990
©Michael Oliver and Colin Barnes 2012
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
90 Totten ham Court Road, London WlT 4LP.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this
work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published as The Politics of Disablement in 1990
This edition published as The New Politics of Disablement in 2012
Published by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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ISBN 978-0-333-94567-4 ISBN 978-0-230-39244-1 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-0-230-39244-1
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
CPI Antony Rowe,Chippenham and Eastbourne
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Contents
Introduction� 1
PART I CONCEPTS AND ORIGINS
1 The Importance of Definitions in the Disability Debate 11
Introduction 11
Setting�the�Scene 13
The�Importance�of�Definitions 14
Official�Definitions�of�Disability 16
Challenging�Official�Definitions 20
Official�Responses�to�this�Challenge 24
Rethinking�Disability�Definitions 27
Conclusion� 31
2 The Origins of Disability Studies 32
Introduction 32
Anthropology�and�Disability 32
Sociology�and�Disability 39
Revisionist�Sociology 41
Alternative�Sociology�and�Disability 43
Developing�a�Social�Theory�of�Disablement 48
Conclusion 51
3 The Rise of Disabling Capitalism 52
Introduction 52
Creating�Disability 53
Constructing�Disability 57
The�State�and�Disability 60
Defining�and�Dealing�with�Disability 61
Disability�in�the�Twentieth�Century� 65
Explaining�Disability�Responses 67
Rationalizing�Disability 70
Conclusion 72
PART II REPRESENTATIONS AND DISCOURSES
4 Ideology and the Disabled Individual 77
Introduction 77
Ideology�and�the�Individual 77
Individualism�and�Disability 79
Vl Contents
The Ideological Exclusion of Disabled Individuals 82
The Medicalization of Disability 83
The Medicalization of Everyday Life 86
The Normalizing Society 88
Normality and Eugenics 92
Conclusion 96
5 Constructing Disabled Identities 98
Introduction 98
Culture, Impairment and Disability 100
Disabling Imagery in Recent History 102
Resisting Disabling Imagery 104
Poverty, Inequality and Identity 107
Disabling Culture and Identity Formation llO
Social Divisions and Identity ll2
Conclusion ll7
6 Creating the Disability Problem 119
Introduction ll9
Defining the Disability Problem 120
Disabling Social Policies 121
Reconstructing the Disability Problem 123
Creating the Disability Problem 125
The Idea of Dependency 126
Creating Economic Dependency 128
Legislating for Dependency 131
Promoting Dependency in Practice 133
Internalizing Dependency 137
Conclusion 139
PART III AGENDAS AND ACTIONS
7 Dealing with the Disabling Society 143
Introduction 143
Capitalism in Crisis 144
Tackling the Crisis - the Market 147
Tackling the Crisis - Rights 148
Tackling the Crisis -Politics 154
Tackling the Crisis - Internationalism 157
Conclusion 159
8 Resisting the Disabling Society 161
Introduction 161
Transformation or Resistance 162
The Social Model 164
Contents VII
Independent Living 165
Disabling Corporatism 169
Identity Politics 171
New Social Movements 172
Conclusion 175
9 Doing Disability Studies 177
Introduction 177
Disciplining Disability Studies 177
Locating Disability Studies 178
Debating Disability Studies 179
Politicizing Disability Studies 182
Rescuing Disability Studies: The Wind is Still Blowing 184
Bibliography 187
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To Vic without whom this book would never have been
started, let alone finished
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Introduction
Background
When�the�first�edition�of�this�book�was�being�prepared�the�capitalist�world�was
emerging�from�one�of�its�periodic�economic�crises�which�had�given�rise,�in�the
United�Kingdom�at�least,�to�a�couple�of�major�political�confrontations�resulting
in�the�police�being�used�to�crush�the�legitimate�protests�of�a�group�of�workers�and
rioting�on�the�streets�of�many�of�our�major�cities�over�the�poll�tax.�Other�groups
too,�including�disabled�people,�were�protesting�over�a�whole�variety�of�legiti-
mate�issues,�and�despite�the�rhetoric�of�cuts�in�public�expenditure,�considerable
concessions�were�being�wrung�from�capitalist�societies�all�over�the�world.
Coincidentally�when�we�were�preparing�this�edition�the�capitalist�world�was
undergoing�another�of�its�periodic�crises�accompanied�by�yet�more�rhetoric�about
cuts�in�public�expenditure.�While�there�have�been�a�few�mass�demonstrations�in
major�European�cities,�these�have�been�about�the�scope�of�the�cuts�rather�than
their�legitimacy�and�there�seems�to�be�an�all-round�consensus�about�reducing
public� expenditure,� whatever� the�difficulties�this� may� cause�to� marginalized
groups,� including� disabled� people.� The� ‘end� of� ideology’� predicted� by� one
commentator�(Bell,�1960)�more�than�fifty�years�ago�now�seems�to�have�arrived
with�a�vengeance.�The�new�politics�that�is�emerging�from�all�this�seems�more
consensual�and�less�confrontational�than�when�we�were�writing�the�first�edition.
The�outcome�of�this�is�that�we�have�written�this�book�in�a�very�different�political
environment.�The�optimism�of�the�1980s�seems�now�to�have�disappeared�and
the�tone�of�our�current�work�is�more�pessimistic�though,�we�hope,�not�depressing.
We�still�believe�that�capitalism�can�be�replaced�by�a�more�inclusive�form�of�social
organization�and�that�this�still�has�to�be�fought�for�by�marginal�groups,�including
disabled�people.�We�do,�however,�recognize�that�this�struggle�is�a�complex,
long-term�project�and�we�hope�that�this�book�can�make�a�contribution�to�this
endeavour.��
Personal Biographies
The�decision�to�write�the�new�edition�of�this�book�as�a�joint�enterprise�was�an�easy
1
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2 The New Politics of Disablement
one.�Although�the�first�edition�was�written�by�one�of�us�(Mike�Oliver)�we�have
worked�on�a�number�of�joint�projects�both�before�and�after�it�was�produced�and
have�continued�to�do�so�for�many�years.�Additionally�we�are�both�professional
sociologists�and�between�us�we�have�spent�nearly�sixty�years�working�within�that
discipline.�And�like�Comte�(1987),�we�believe�that�sociology�is�the�‘queen�of
science’�and�that�sociological�insights�are�to�varying�degrees�evident�in�all�academic
disciplines.�This�is�especially�so�with�reference�to�analyses�and�debates�about
impairment�and�disability.�Finally�we�both�have�impairments,�though�our�personal
journeys�to�self-identification�as�disabled�people�are�obviously�different.�Thus�it
seemed�entirely�natural�that�we�should�collaborate�on�this�edition�as�we�work�well
together�and�our�views�on�the�production�of�disablement�in�modern�societies�are
broadly�similar,�if�not�exactly�the�same.�
Writing the New Edition
The�first�edition�of�the�book�began�with�a�moan�and�a�challenge:
The�issue�of�disability�and�the�experiences�of�disabled�people�have�been�given
scant�consideration�in�academic�circles.�Both�the�issue�and�the�experience�have
been�marginalised�and�only�in�the�disciplines�of�medicine�and�psychology�has
disability�been�afforded�an�important�place.�Unfortunately�this�has,�itself,�been
counterproductive�because�it�has�resulted�in�the�issue�of�disability�being�seen�as
essentially�a�medical�one�and�the�experience�of�disability�as�being�contingent
upon�a�variety�of�psychological�adjustment�processes.�Hence�there�is�an�urgent
need�for�other�disciplines�such�as�sociology,�anthropology,�history,�politics�and
social�administration�to�take�these�matters�seriously�rather�than�to�merely�offer
descriptive�and�atheoretical�accounts�which�leave�medical�and�psychological
approaches�unchallenged.�
In�order�to�counter�the�medical�and�psychological�dominance�in�this�area,
ultimately�nothing�less�than�a�‘social�theory�of�disability’�will�be�necessary,�but
such�a�theory�cannot�be�produced�until�the�various�academic�disciplines�begin
to�take�both�the�issue�of�disability�and�the�experiences�of�disabled�people�seri-
ously� in� their� own� right� rather� than� as� marginal� to� both� theoretical
developments�and�empirical�work.�(Oliver,�1990,�p.x)
There�is�no�doubt�that�since�1990�many�disabled�and�non-disabled�academics
have�risen�to�this�challenge�and�we�have�seen�the�growth�in�published�work
across�many�disciplines,�the�development�of�disability�studies�courses�at�under-