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Disability activism and the politics of scale
Author(s) -
Kitchin Rob,
Wilton Robert
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/1541-0064.00005
Subject(s) - politics , scale (ratio) , affect (linguistics) , social movement , locale (computer software) , state (computer science) , political science , political economy , sociology , geography , computer science , communication , law , cartography , algorithm , operating system
In this paper, we examine the role of spatial scale in mediating and shaping political struggles between disabled people and the state. Specifically, we draw on recent theoretical developments concerning the social construction of spatial scale to interpret two case studies of disability activism within Canada and Ireland. In particular, we provide an analysis of how successful the disability movement in each locale has been at ‘jumping scale’ and enacting change, as well as examining what the consequences of such scaling‐up have been for the movement itself. We demonstrate that the political structures operating in each country markedly affect the scaled nature of disability issues and the effectiveness of political mobilization at different scales .