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State of the Field: Disability History
Author(s) -
BLACKIE DANIEL,
MONCRIEFF ALEXIA
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.12
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1468-229X
pISSN - 0018-2648
DOI - 10.1111/1468-229x.13315
Subject(s) - field (mathematics) , state (computer science) , politics , sociocultural evolution , disability studies , work (physics) , cognitive disabilities , sociology , social science , cognition , psychology , political science , gender studies , law , anthropology , engineering , psychiatry , mechanical engineering , mathematics , algorithm , computer science , pure mathematics
Historical studies of bodily and cognitive difference have flourished in the past decade. This article surveys recent work in disability history to provide a sense of the state of the field today. Concentrating on work published in English, the article outlines three main pillars of the field: its political impetus; its commitment to a sociocultural approach to disability, and its insistence that disability constitutes a powerful category of historical analysis. Following this, the article discusses the sources and methods used by disability historians, as well as some of the ethical issues their work raises. Major themes and areas of strength in the field are also identified. The article concludes by suggesting how disability history might develop in the future and encourages disability historians to push beyond a Cartesian separation of body and mind when considering human difference.