Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field

The growing academic interest in the history of disability, both in Scandinavia and internationally, is strongly linked to the political disability movement and its need to face present and future struggles for independence, equality and citizenship by constructing a new history of disability. Anoth...

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Main Author: Eva Simonsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Stockholm University Press 2006-08-01
Series:Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
Online Access:https://www.sjdr.se/articles/184
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author Eva Simonsen
author_facet Eva Simonsen
author_sort Eva Simonsen
collection DOAJ
description The growing academic interest in the history of disability, both in Scandinavia and internationally, is strongly linked to the political disability movement and its need to face present and future struggles for independence, equality and citizenship by constructing a new history of disability. Another origin of interest is more genuinely academic, with increasing awareness among scholars in various disciplines of how boundary work in relation to concepts of normalcy, deviance and disability may function as a powerful tool in historical analyses. A third point of departure for historical research on disability may be labelled “skeleton research” aroused by media revelations of past social practices, which are now seen as abusive and repressive. This paper argues that by adding an international historical context of comparison to the field of disability research, new theoretical perspectives on disability studies in general are offered, supporting the idea of applying disability as a theoretical tool for analysis along with race, gender, age and class. As a first and explorative effort at trying to introduce the Scandinavian case to the international scene of history of disability the number of examples given will be limited, and attempts at analyses will be tentative and fairly approximate.
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spelling doaj.art-b32fb166429d47c28941fd37a4d07c872023-09-03T03:05:31ZengStockholm University PressScandinavian Journal of Disability Research1501-74191745-30112006-08-0173-413715410.1080/15017410500237326115Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research FieldEva Simonsen0Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayThe growing academic interest in the history of disability, both in Scandinavia and internationally, is strongly linked to the political disability movement and its need to face present and future struggles for independence, equality and citizenship by constructing a new history of disability. Another origin of interest is more genuinely academic, with increasing awareness among scholars in various disciplines of how boundary work in relation to concepts of normalcy, deviance and disability may function as a powerful tool in historical analyses. A third point of departure for historical research on disability may be labelled “skeleton research” aroused by media revelations of past social practices, which are now seen as abusive and repressive. This paper argues that by adding an international historical context of comparison to the field of disability research, new theoretical perspectives on disability studies in general are offered, supporting the idea of applying disability as a theoretical tool for analysis along with race, gender, age and class. As a first and explorative effort at trying to introduce the Scandinavian case to the international scene of history of disability the number of examples given will be limited, and attempts at analyses will be tentative and fairly approximate.https://www.sjdr.se/articles/184
spellingShingle Eva Simonsen
Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
title Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
title_full Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
title_fullStr Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
title_full_unstemmed Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
title_short Disability History in Scandinavia: Part of an International Research Field
title_sort disability history in scandinavia part of an international research field
url https://www.sjdr.se/articles/184
work_keys_str_mv AT evasimonsen disabilityhistoryinscandinaviapartofaninternationalresearchfield