Hi Mairian,
I've read through your comment at least three times, and I do not
understand what you are saying. Please rephrase. Are you saying that
academic studies of the discourse of disability and normality only end up
reinscribing the binary? Are you saying that historical work is
antithetical to the lived experience of people today? How are you defining
academic--as something of no use to people outside of the academy? I'd
like to know what your position is before I respond at greater length.
Best,
Lennard
At 05:31 PM 10/19/1998 +0100, you wrote:
>Lennard Davis wrote:
>>
>>I'm confused by the characterization of Davis, Thomson, and Linton as
>>accepting the term "normal" uncritically. I thought the whole point of
>>each of our books was to critique normalcy or normality. If the word
>>normal gets used without scare quotes, it is certainly after much defining,
>>refining, and critiqueing ....
>
>... and perhaps preoccupation? I feel that what is achieved in taking this
>approach is to keep existing power relations intact as ultimately a
>dichotomy between 'normal' and 'deviant' is re-created, often couched in
>the language of past historical and literary contexts. Whilst this may be
>of academic interest - I am not an enemy of academia - and provides us with
>further evidence of what we already know - that disability is culturally
>contextualised, a PREOCCUPATION with this approach distracts from the lived
>experiences, contemporary social and cultural circumstances and
>politico-social goals of disabled people in the here and now. It risks
>further objectifying disabled people by making us objects of fascination
>('the exotic'?) instead of objects of derision ('the deviant'). At this
>current moment in time, this concerns me greatly ....
>
>Best wishes
>
>
>Mairian
>
>*********
>
>"To understand what I am doing, you need a third eye"
>
>*********
>
>Mairian Corker
>Senior Research Fellow
>University of Central Lancashire
>c/o 111 Balfour Road
>Highbury
>London N5 2HE
>U.K.
>
>Minicom/TTY +44 [0]171 359 8085
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>
>
>
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