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14 Crip Geographies

  • Chantelle Lewis , Morag Rose , Bethan Evans and Levi Gahman
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Abstract

Crip theory has emerged as a vital and subversive framework across the social sciences and humanities, in particular Critical Disability Studies (CDS). Its origins lie in disability rights activism where the reclamation of the term ‘crip’ represents a rejection of ableist stereotypes, repressive social institutions, and disabling environments. Crip theory further asserts that being disabled is a diverse political identity – not a defect in need of repair. As an analytical framework, it moves beyond simple inversion by offering researchers and activists alike a critical intersectional lens that can be employed to illustrate how disability is constructed, represented, and experienced across differing cultural, political, and social spaces and environments. Accordingly, this chapter outlines the central tenets of crip theory, provides an overview of the scholarly discussions that have emerged about its merits and limitations, and explores its significance for the field of feminist political geography.

Abstract

Crip theory has emerged as a vital and subversive framework across the social sciences and humanities, in particular Critical Disability Studies (CDS). Its origins lie in disability rights activism where the reclamation of the term ‘crip’ represents a rejection of ableist stereotypes, repressive social institutions, and disabling environments. Crip theory further asserts that being disabled is a diverse political identity – not a defect in need of repair. As an analytical framework, it moves beyond simple inversion by offering researchers and activists alike a critical intersectional lens that can be employed to illustrate how disability is constructed, represented, and experienced across differing cultural, political, and social spaces and environments. Accordingly, this chapter outlines the central tenets of crip theory, provides an overview of the scholarly discussions that have emerged about its merits and limitations, and explores its significance for the field of feminist political geography.

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