Thanks for saying this, Dan. I agree that it's unhelpful, as well as
unseemly, to use the list for such personal attacks. It creates a climate
which inhibits honest debate, yet that's the only way any mature academic
discipline can advance
Jan
> -----Original Message-----
> From: D. Goodley [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 04 September 2000 08:23
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: What if Simi's name had been Sammy (and she had
> 'learning difficulties')?
>
> Have just read the various emails regarding the purported
> prejudices of Colin Barnes.
>
> The personal attacks that accuse Barnes of being racist and sexist
> are not only misplaced but miss the point of this mailing list. Our
> debates should be about the dialogues that we, as disability
> researchers, activists and allies (alongside our other political and
> personal positions) can build about the relationships between
> disability studies, critical race theories and feminism. I would also
> add to this the activism of people who are labelled as having
> 'learning difficulties': an area of personal and political life that is
> often ignored.
>
> I enjoyed reading the Linton / Barnes debate as it raised issues
> about the global nature of disability studies - something to be
> critically valued. However, at times, some of the mailings on this
> list have moved away from political and theoretical debate to
> personal attacks which are pretty pointless and unhelpful. I
> remember something similar happening earlier this year in relation
> to the research and supposed 'politically unaccountable' position of
> Tom Shakespeare. Accusations were made then that were not only
> plainly wrong but sidelined wider debates about the relationship
> between 'activism' and 'academia'. With respect to the Barnes /
> Linton debate, questions that emerged for me centred around the
> dilemmas in developing disability theories between different
> contexts, cultures and countries and the problems inherent in the
> dominance of british/american views.
>
> Hence, we should aim to consider how issues associated with
> 'race', 'learning difficulties', feminism, activism, academic work,
> globalisation, etc impact upon and connect with the development of
> disability studies and politics which challenge disablement,
> deconstruct 'impairment' and maintain political and social change
> as the paramount concern.
>
> If the carping continues then I fear many people will leave the list.
>
> with best wishes
>
> Dan Goodley
>
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