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Emerging Thoughts in Disability and Humanness

Elizabeth DePoy author Stephen French Gilson author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Anthem Press

Published:1st Mar '22

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Emerging Thoughts in Disability and Humanness cover

Complex analysis of human diversity and the nature of humanness

Emerging Thoughts in Disability and Humanness engages with fundamental questions about the legitimacy of the atypical body for membership, quasi-membership or exclusion from the category of human.

Emerging Thoughts in Disability and Humanness examines the role of embodied disablement in providing an important but often circumvented analysis of the explicit and implicit nature of the legitimate human body, its symbolism, and responses that such bodies elicit from diverse local through global social and cultural entities. Beyond simply theorizing, this work begins to unearth a potent and in-depth examination of membership, meaning and social valuation on the basis of embodied features that include desirables in and exclude “offending” bodies from membership in the category of human. It invokes contemporary post-postmodernist marriages of varied disciplines as frameworks for returning creative substance into rethinking disability as part of the fabric of humanness.

“DePoy and Gilson delve into what it means to be human, with constructs of disability underpinning their work. Building on earlier thinking and publications they continue probing disability, humanity, and their intersections. Readers are invited to join their journey through humanness literacy, an ‘expansive revision’ imagining of ‘all bodies.’” — Steven E. Brown, Retired Professor Disability Studies, University of Hawaii Center on Disability Studies, US; Co-Founder, Institute on Disability Culture.


Emerging Thoughts in Disability and Humanness introduces, defines and uses multiple theories to map the current ground of disability theory and the presentation of embodied life in a culture. It is focused on the purpose of theorizing to aid in successfully resolving barriers to develop practically embedded and participatory living for all bodies.” —Heather MacDuffie, Licensed Clinical Social Worker


"A considered blend of diverse voices, with a reasonable yet subversive stance. Exposing simplistic conventions, DePoy and Gilson open up a more nuanced discussion about disability objects and their appearance – and therefore design." — Graham Pullin, Professor of Design and Disability and Founder of Studio Ordinary, University of Dundee, UK

ISBN: 9781839980459

Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 26mm

Weight: 454g

246 pages