Nancy

Abstract

Civil Disabilities: Citizenship, Membership, and Belonging uses a social justice perspec-tive to explore the multiple narratives forming the full and unfettered participation in society of those living with disability. The book explores the ‘‘symbolic representations of what it means to belong as a disabled person within a political society in the Western context’’ [6] though a collection of essays by leading anthropologists, historians, musi-cologists, philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists. These essays illuminate the social, political and environmental realities that have been variably experienced as helpful and harmful to the citizenship of those identified as disabled. The authors provide meaningful conceptualization and develop lexicon which enhance understanding of the obstacles to full citizenship, membership and belonging. The resulting narrative is steeped in the everyday experience of differentness that illuminates the impact of economic, legal, political and social forces. The authors of each chapter take up the issue of citizenship from the viewpoint of their respective fields. The text follows ‘‘a narrative that moves from essays that highlight modes of exclusion and dehumanization to those that focus on strategies of including and recognition’’ [6]. The authors encourage reading the essay that ‘‘first captures’’ the attention of the reader as the essays are not necessarily presented in an order that requires the preceding chapter to illuminate following chapters. By not relying on a simple empirical discussion of the societal, legal, political and environmental, it achieves a story telling quality that draws the reader into difficult topics.