Amm, Richard and Dai, O'Brien ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4529-7568 (2024) Find the others - Disability & anarchism. In: Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism. 2 ed. Palgrave (Submitted)

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Abstract

In this chapter, we explore some of the links between radical disability theory and action, and anarchist theory and action. We offer an overview of some of the existing connections, including flagging up some disabled anarchists. We conclude by suggesting that much of the fight for disability justice is inherently anarchist in nature and suggest ways in which engagement with disabled people and their political theories will strengthen both anarchist theory and practice in future.

Disabled people have been active parts of every liberatory movement. Yet when disabled people are remembered, it is common that they either have their politics or their disability removed from their stories even though being disabled by the societies they lived in likely deeply impacted their lives and perspectives. Perhaps because of the perceived rarity of disabled people, many radical spaces today are not particularly inclusive or accessible when it comes to disability even though 15% of people have some kind of disability. Similarly, classical political theories from across the political spectrum, rooted in productivism, are insufficient for the disability liberation movement. This is unsurprising, as capitalism has defined how the lives of individuals are to be valued, and those who are less productive for the owning class are dehumanised to the point where their suffering and deaths are seen as unavoidable outcomes of a neutral system. However, disability politics is becoming increasingly relevant due to the rapidly increasing numbers of newly disabled people. This is primarily driven by having given up trying to mitigate SARS-COV-2, with permanent impairments becoming more likely with each additional infection.

Item Type:	Book Section
Status:	Submitted
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races H Social Sciences > HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism J Political Science > JC Political theory
School/Department:	School of Education, Language and Psychology
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/10461

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