2022/07/20 by DANIEL BLACKIE, Daniel Blackie, ALEXIA MONCRIEFF +1 · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Medicine · Social Sciences · #Historical Gender and Feminism Studies #Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis #Medicine and Dermatology Studies History
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/1468-229x.13315
openalex publication_date 2022/07/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Abstract 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.