To All
I have been watching the issue of Narratives come up again via the DRU Home
page during the exam period. Thank you, by the way Deborah - Deborah Marks I
will take a look at the book you mention.
The intial reaction to my posting, a couple of weeks ago or so was WHY?
Narratives aren't poltical, they are individualistic, and ultimately useless
(apparently).
One of the reasons I wish to use them is precisly because they aren't
political per se, but deal with the identity - there is of course a
political identity. I am of the view that one of the consequences of the
social model is that it has sacrificed discourses on identity, possibly
emancipatory identity for emancipatory politics. This much is expressed in
Disability and Society 97, vol 12 in an article by Bill Hughs and Kevin
Paterson called "The social model of disability and the disappearing body".
Is it beyond the realms of imagination that talking about identity which
includes the body (I look mainly at physical disability) could have a
political end and that the movements sacrificing of impairment to the
sciences was a mistake? Because when they did that they missed out on a
great opportunity in my
view.
I recently attended a seminar given by a Dr.Jay Prosser who wrote a book
called "the body narratives of transexuality". The book, which I advise
everyobne to read simply because it is interesting loks at various
narratives, stories and experiences of transsexuals and how those
experiences form an identity (though that quick synopsis doesn't quite do
the book justice).
I go on for far to long now but would like to finish with just one thing -
couldn't the main point of narratives be to get an outside view and not just
an autobiographical one? Can only sociology provide find good, true and
emancipatory research which is of course objective, whilst anyone utilising
any other mode of inquiry is not carrying out "serious analysis"
Thank you for your time
Michael G Peckitt
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