Actually, not exactly. Regarding sex, a person can change physical
sex. I suppose that's contested, but I think that contestation is
unreasonable.
And the change of what you call attitude is a good deal more than that
in the examples I gave. Certainly, I was referring to categories that
are socially constructed, but also legally constructed with major
consequences. Jewish in Nazi Germany and American Indian in the US are
statuses enshrined in the political systems. That's certainly different
from a change of impairment status, but not a change of disability
status. Although the book I'm working on (about disability issues in my
field, music) isn't autobiographical, the impetus was the realization
that my own disability status ranged from total crip to perfect specimen
depending on the context of the moment.
With regard to who does the research, I find myself thinking about Athol
Fugard and others who are so respected for their work on apartheid
despite not having been its black victims. Should their contributions
have been foregone?
A Velarde wrote:
> It seems that what you two are refering in not to a material escape
> (of race, etc) but an escape to 'categorisaction' or a socially
> contracted 'attitude'. It doesn't ony happen with south american
> indians ( where i lived there for half of my life)but also with say
> anyone in other parts of the globe (for example an eastender in
> China or Latin america). The person's manner change (i.e the way they
> speak and wave) because social constructed norms change, are different
> or quite simply because they are not understood (lost in translation).
> But this is quite different to lose an identity. I am sure if you have
> been tortured or seen your children killed because of your race, you
> just cna't move contry in your planert and off you go you are a
> different person.
> Best, Andy
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Lubet" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:08 AM
> Subject: Re: who should do the research?
>
>
>> Actually, people change sex/gender all the time. They can also
>> change race, although that happens by moving from one location to
>> another, where race is differently constructed. For example, a Jew
>> who managed to escape Nazi Germany became a racially different
>> person. Another example is the different way "Indians" are defined
>> in the US and Bolivia (where I taught briefly). Even one
>> great-great-great grandparent qualifies one for tribal registry as an
>> American Indian in the US. Most Bolivians would qualify if they
>> lived in the US (were Bolivian "tribes" registered in the US), but
>> only people thought to be "full-blooded" are regarded as Indians in
>> that country.
>>
>> One of the difficulties of "nothing about us without us" is defining
>> "us." The women's movement has certainly experienced a great deal of
>> fragmentation on such lines as ethnicity/race, age, and sexual
>> orientation. About twenty years ago in the US (and doubtless
>> elsewhere), the term "people of color" became prominent. Lately,
>> it's being critiqued as reductive and therefore inaccurate. On this
>> thread we're seeing a distinction between a larger disability
>> community and smaller communities grounded in particular
>> constructions of impairment.
>>
>>
>> Matt Wappett wrote:
>>> Just my ten cents before heading out of the office this evening: As
>>> an academic researcher with a learning disability, I'm honestly
>>> chagrined with the insular approach to research taken by many in
>>> this recent discussion. Although I understand Larry's frustration,
>>> I also think that we need to acknowledge that disability is a
>>> complex phenomenon that lends itself to many perspectives. Although
>>> disability studies is built upon the same theoretical foundations as
>>> women's studies and race/cultural studies, it's important to
>>> remember that gender, race, and culture are more concrete cultural
>>> structures than disability. I know that I'm opening myself up to
>>> all sorts of critiques by saying this...but I can't become, black,
>>> Asian, or even a woman; but I can become a person with a
>>> disability...or I can acquire another disability beyond the one I
>>> already have. We all can...the experience of being human is the
>>> experience of becoming or fighting against becoming disabled. Thus
>>> it seems to me that the phenomenon of disability is an area that
>>> should be more open and accepting of a diversity of perspectives
>>> since disability is one of the few shared areas of human experience
>>> that cuts across age, race, gender, class, etc. Now, I'm not
>>> arguing for the medical model here, although I think that the
>>> medical model, despite it's patriarchal hegemonic view of ability,
>>> has added much to what we currently understand about
>>> disability...BUT it needs to be counterbalanced and, if possible,
>>> superseded by a more rational view of human diversity.
>>>
>>> Matt
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Larry Arnold wrote:
>>>> Bollox me old pal me old beauty you justify it thus, but if it were
>>>> you who were offended I think
>>>> you would not be so forgiving,
>>>>
>>>> So authentic voices always take second place because the middle
>>>> class intelligentsia are always more
>>>> likely to be taken seriously because they have a social contract we
>>>> do not.
>>>>
>>>> That is giving in to Nanny knows best.
>>>>
>>>> It really stinks and you are all blind to it in your own security.
>>>>
>>>> How far have you travelled? And in which direction
>>>>
>>>> A bloody big circle I think, where you are all now the pigs who
>>>> walk on two legs.
>>>>
>>>> Larry
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
>>>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Sent: 24 June 2008 22:15
>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Subject: Re: who should do the research?
>>>>>
>>>>> I strongly agree with Allan on this point.
>>>>>
>>>>> Surely the over all point of all writing, be it articles, books,
>>>>> movies etc is to bring about an understanding of what is going on.
>>>>> Parents, and anyone else should be able to communicate from their
>>>>> prospective. We should value that contribution to understanding.
>>>>>
>>>>> It has however to be made clear from what perspective or
>>>>> relationship the author is coming from. Keith
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> My new videos can been seen at
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://www.putfile.com/yourcamden/media>
>>>>> <http://www.youtube.com/user/yourcamden>
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://www.myspace.com/kaamden>
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://www.veoh.com/users/yourcamden>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ________________End of message________________
>>>>
>>>> This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre
>>>> for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
>>>> (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
>>>> Enquiries about list administration should be sent to
>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>> Archives and tools are located at:
>>>> www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
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>>>> web page.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
>> Morse Alumni/Graduate & Professional Distinguished Teaching Professor
>> Music/Jewish Studies/American Studies
>> University of Minnesota
>> Head Division of Composition and Theory, School of Music
>> Director of Undergraduate Studies, Center for Jewish Studies
>> Chair, Senate Disability Issues Committee
>> Associate Editor, Review of Disability Studies
>> Affiliate Professor, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai'i
>> President, Hillel at the University of Minnesota
>>
>> ________________End of message________________
>>
>> This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for
>> Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
>> (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
>> Enquiries about list administration should be sent to
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Archives and tools are located at:
>> www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
>> You can VIEW, POST, JOIN and LEAVE the list by logging in to this web
>> page.
>>
>
> ________________End of message________________
>
> This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for
> Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
> (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
> Enquiries about list administration should be sent to
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Archives and tools are located at:
> www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
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> page.
--
Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni/Graduate & Professional Distinguished Teaching Professor
Music/Jewish Studies/American Studies
University of Minnesota
Head Division of Composition and Theory, School of Music
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Center for Jewish Studies
Chair, Senate Disability Issues Committee
Associate Editor, Review of Disability Studies
Affiliate Professor, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai'i
President, Hillel at the University of Minnesota
________________End of message________________
This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
Enquiries about list administration should be sent to [log in to unmask]
Archives and tools are located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can VIEW, POST, JOIN and LEAVE the list by logging in to this web page.
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