I wrote to Vic last year to give him an illustration of how his work was
enduring - my daughter had posted one of his early articles on her Facebook
page saying that everyone should read it. She had used his work in an
extended essay she wrote (in her third year of a degree in Development
Studies) and spent many months enthusing about it, and continues to believe
(as do I) that his influence and importance will endure.
And though it's so sad that Vic has gone, it's good in these difficult times
to remember and celebrate the work of someone who, as Mark says, always
believed that a better world was achievable.
Jenny
-----Original Message-----
From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mark Priestley
Sent: 01 December 2011 21:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Vic Finkelstein
As you will know by now, we were greatly saddened to learn of the death of
Vic Finkelstein who was an inspiration and guide through the development of
British dsiabled people's movement and critical disability studies. There
will be many appreciations and celebrations of Vic's life and contribution
and today is not the day for lengthy obituaries but I wanted to mark the
exceptional support and guidance that Vic gave so generously to me. It was
encountering Vic's writing that first gave me the connection between
disability and politics in the 1980s, and revealed the links we shared with
involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. it was Vic who grasped the
potential of the Internet to transform and democratise academic and activist
knowledge, when others were still suspicious, and who gave me that copy of
the 'little red book' to become the first document scanned electronically
in what would later become the disability archive developed by Colin Barnes.
Vic patiently answered our student emails and helped us clarify our
understanding of the development of ideas and politics in the movement. He
contributed to the first online discussions on this list in the same spirit
(I have archived some of those early exchanges in the files area of the list
web page). He was always ahead of the game and could always imagine a better
world as genuinely achievable, which is probably what I'd remember him for
most. He will be much missed.
Mark
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