The role of theory in disability research ‐springboard or strait‐jacket?

Anders Gustavsson

doi:10.1080/15017410409512639

Original Articles

The role of theory in disability research ‐springboard or strait‐jacket?

Author:

Anders Gustavsson

Departments of Education and Social work at Stockholm University

About Anders

Professor

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Abstract

This article is an elaboration of a key‐note speech presented at the annual conference of the Nordic Network on Disability Research in Copenhagen 2001 discussing the role of theory in disability research. The discussion is based on reviews of disability research, mostly from Scandinavia and Britain. Two types of non‐theoretical perspectives and three types of theoretical perspectives were found in the reviews. Strengths and weaknesses of the different perspectives are discussed and a typical Scandinavian perspective is identified.

How to Cite: Gustavsson, A., (2009). The role of theory in disability research ‐springboard or strait‐jacket?. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 6(1), pp.55–70. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410409512639

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Published on 08 Jul 2009

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CC BY 4.0

References

Ascher , M. (1995). . Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach. , [city: Cambridge]: : Cambridge University Press. .
Bahktin , M.M. (1986). . Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. , Edited by: McGee , V.W. [city: Austin]: : University of Texas. .
Barnes , C. (1996a). . “Theories of Disability and the origins of the oppression of disabled people I western sociality. ”. In Disability and Society: Emerging Issues and Insights. , Edited by: Barton , L. : 43.–. [city: London]: : Longman. .
Barnes , C. (1996b). . Disability and the myth of the independent researcher. . Disability & Society , 11: : 107.–.
Bhaskar , R. (1978). . A Realist Theoiy of Science. , [city: Hassocks]: : Hervester Press. .
Beckett , C. and Wrighton , E. (2000). . ‘What Matters to Me is Not What You’ re Talking About— Maintaining the Social Model of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((7)): : 991.–.
Bogdan , R.C. and Taylor , S. (1987). . Towards a sociology of acceptance: The other side of the study of deviance. . Social Policy , 18((2)): : 34.–.
Butler , J. (1998). . Excitable Speech. , [city: New York]: : Routledge. .
Campbell , A.T. (1996). . “Tricky tropes; styles of the popular and the pompous. ”. In Popularising Anthropology. , Edited by: MacClancy , J. and McDonaugh , C. : 58.–. [city: London]: : Routledge. .
Collier , A. (1994). . Critical Realisme. An Introduction to Roy Bhaskar's Philosophy. , [city: London]: : Routledge. .
Corker , M. (1998). . Deaf and Disabled, or Deafness Disabled. , [city: Buckingham]: : Open University Press. .
Corker , M. (2000). . Disability Politics, Language, Planning and Inclusive Social Policy. . Disability and Society , 15((3)): : 445.–.
Corker , M. and French , S. (1999). , eds. . Disability Discourse. , [city: Buckingham]: : Open University Press. .
Davis , J.M. (2000). . Disability Studies as Ethnographic Research and Text: Research Strategies and Roles for Promoting Change. . Disability & Society , 15((2)): : 191.–.
Danermark , B. (2001). . Tvärvetenskapens förutsättningar och dynamic – exemplet handikappforskning. Opportunities and dynamics of interdisciplinary research – the exaple of disability research). . Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, , : : 288.–.
Denzin , N. (1997). . Interpretative Ethnography: ethnographic practices for the 21st Century. , [city: London]: : Sage. .
Dowling , M. and Dolan , L. (2001). . Families with Children with Disabilities—Ineqaulities and the Social Model. . Disability & Society , 16((1)): : 21.–.
Edgerton , R. and Gaston , A. M. (1991). . “I've seen it all!! Lives of Older Persons with Mental Retardation in the Community. , [city: Baltimore]: : Paul Bookes Publishing Co. .
Finkelstein , V. (1975). . To deny or not deny disability. . Magic Carpet, , : : 31.–.
Finkelstein , V. (1980). . Attitudes and Disabled people. , [city: New York]: : World Rehabilitation fund. .
Fischer , M.J. (1986). . “Ethnicity and the postmodern arts of memory. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcus , G.E. and Clifford , J . : 194.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .
French Gilson , S. and DePoy , E. (2000). . Multiculturalism and Disability: a critical perspective. . Disability & Society , 15((2)): : 207.–.
Geertz , C. (1993). . Local Knowledge. Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology. , [city: London]: : Fontana Press. .
Goodley , D. (2001). . 'Learning Difficulties’, the Social Model of Disability and Impairment: Challenging Epistemology. . Disability & Society , 16((2)): : 207.–.
Granovetter , M. (1973). . The strength of weak ties. . American Journal of Sociology , 78((6)): : 1360.–.
Granlund , M. , Eriksson , L. and Almqvist , L. (2004). . “Delaktighet ‐begreppsdefinitioner och tillämpningar i ett livstidsperspektiv (Participation ‐ definitions and applications in a life‐span perspective). ”. In Delaktighetens språk (The language of participation). , Edited by: Gustavsson , A. [city: Lund]: : Studentlitteratur. . Forthcoming,.
Gustafson , S. (2000). . Varieties of reading disability. Phonological and orthographic worg decoding deficits and implications for intervention. , Studies from the Swedish Institute for Disability Research no. 1Linköping University. . Diss..
Gustavsson , A. (2000a). . Inifrån utanförskapet (Insiders’ perspectives om being an outsider). , [city: Lund]: : Studentlitteratur. .
Gustavsson , A. (2000b). . Tolkningsteori II (Theory of interpretation II). Texter om forskningsmetod no. 5. , Pedagogiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet. .
Gustavsson , A. (2001). . Studying personal experiences of disability: What happened to verstehen when Einfühlung disappeared. . Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research , 2((2)): : 29.–.
Gustavsson , A. and Söder , M. (1990). . Social Forskning om Människor med Psykisk Utvecklingsstörning. En bibliograferad kommentar (Social Research on People with Intellectual Disability), , FoU‐rapport 1990: 1 from Vårdhögskolan in Stockholm
Hermansson , H‐E. (2000). . Arbete i egen regi. Från arbetsmarknadsprojekt till social economi (Work under personal management. From labor‐market projects to social economy). , [city: Göteborg]: : Daidalos. .
Hirsch , E.D. (1967). . Validity in interpretation. , [city: Yale]: : Yale University Press. .
Hunt , P. (1996). . Stigma. , [city: London]: : Chapman. .
Kjellberg , A. (2002). . Participation ‐ Ideology and Everyday Life. How to understand the experiences of persons with learning disabilities. , Studies from the Swedish Institute for Disability Research no.6Linköping University. . Diss..
Llewellyn , A. and Hogan , K. (2000). . The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((1)): : 157.–.
Luhmann , N. (1995). . Social Systems. , [city: Stanford], [state: CA]: : Stanford University Press. .
Lupton , D. (1998). . The emotional self. , [city: London]: : SAGE Publications. .
Mackelsprang , R. W. and Salsgiver , R.O. (1999). . Disability: a diversity model approach in human service practice. , [city: Pacific Grow]: : Books Cole. .
Matsuda , M.J. , Lawrence , C.R. , Delgado , R. and Willimas , K. (1993). . Words that Wound: critical race theory?, assaultive speech and the first amendment. , [city: Boulder]: : Westview Press. .
Mikailakis , D. (2002). . The systems theory concept of disability: one is not born a disabled person, one is observed to be one. . Disability & Society , 18((2)): : 209.–.
Morris , J. (1996). , ed. . Encounters with Strangers: Feminism and Disability. , [city: London]: : Women's Press. .
Oldenburg , R. (1999). . The great good place: Cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of community. , [city: New York]: : Marlowe & Company. .
Oliver , M. (1990). . The Politics of Disablement. , [city: London]: : Macmillan. .
Oliver , M. (1996). . Understanding disability. From Theory? to Practice. , The politics of disablement: Critical Texts in Social Work and the Welfare State[city: London]: : The Macmillan Press Ltd. .
Oliver , M. and Barnes , C. (1998). . Disabled People and Social Policy. , [city: London]: : Longman. .
Price , J. and Shildrick , M. (1998). . “Uncertain thoughts on the dis/abled body. ”. In Vital Signs: Feminist Refigurations of the Biological Body. , Edited by: Shildrick , M. and Price , J. [city: Edinburgh]: : Edinburgh University Press. . hermeneutique. Paris: Seuil..
Rabinow , P. (1986). . “Representations of social facts: modernity & post‐modernity in anthropology. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcus , G.E. and Clifford , I. : 234.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .
Ricoeur , P. (1986). . Du text â l'action. Essai d ‘hermeneutique II. (From text to action. Hermenautic essays II). , [city: Paris]: : Seuil. .
Riggins , S.H. (1997). . The Language and Politics of Exclusion: others in discourse. , [city: London]: : Sage. .
Shakespeare , T. (1997). . “Cultural representations of disabled people: dustbin of disavowal. ”. In Disability Studies: Past, Present and Future. , Edited by: Barton , L. and Oliver , M. : 217.–. [city: Leeds]: : Disability Press. .
Swain , J. and French , S. (2000). . Towards an Affirmative Model of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((4)): : 569.–.
Söder , M. (1999). . Specialpedagogisk forskning mellan det kliniska och det kontextuella (Special Education Research: Between the clinical and the contextual perspectives). , [city: Bodø]: : Nordlandsforskning, NF8/99. .
Trankell , A. (1973). . Kvarteret Flisan (The Block Flisan). , [city: Stockholm]: : Norstedts förlag. .
Tyler , S. A. (1986). . “Post‐modern ethnography: from document of the occult to occult document. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcuse , G.E. and Clifford , I. : 122.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .
Tøssebro , J. and Kittelsaa , A. (2003). . The study of disabled peoples’ living conditions — a review and analysis, [city: Trondheim]: Position paper published by the Department for social work NTNU,.
Van Dijk , T.A. (1993). . Elite Discourse and Racism. , [city: London]: : Sage. .
Van Dijk , T.A. (1996). . Racism and the Press. , [city: London]: : Routledge. .
Whillock , R.K. and Sladen , D. (1995). , eds. . Hate Speech. , [city: Thousand Oaks]: : Sage. .
World Health Organization (1993). . . International Classification Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (1CIDH). , [city: Geneva]: : World Health Organization. .
World Health Organization (2001). . . International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). , [city: Geneva]: : World Health Organization. .
Ödman , P‐J. (1979). . Tolknings, forstaelse, vetenade (Interpretation, understanding and knowledge). , [city: Stockholm]: : Norstedts. .

[CIT0001] Ascher , M. (1995). . Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach. , [city: Cambridge]: : Cambridge University Press. .

[CIT0002] Bahktin , M.M. (1986). . Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. , Edited by: McGee , V.W. [city: Austin]: : University of Texas. .

[CIT0003] Barnes , C. (1996a). . “Theories of Disability and the origins of the oppression of disabled people I western sociality. ”. In Disability and Society: Emerging Issues and Insights. , Edited by: Barton , L. : 43.–. [city: London]: : Longman. .

[CIT0004] Barnes , C. (1996b). . Disability and the myth of the independent researcher. . Disability & Society , 11: : 107.–.

[CIT0005] Bhaskar , R. (1978). . A Realist Theoiy of Science. , [city: Hassocks]: : Hervester Press. .

[CIT0006] Beckett , C. and Wrighton , E. (2000). . ‘What Matters to Me is Not What You’ re Talking About— Maintaining the Social Model of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((7)): : 991.–.

[CIT0007] Bogdan , R.C. and Taylor , S. (1987). . Towards a sociology of acceptance: The other side of the study of deviance. . Social Policy , 18((2)): : 34.–.

[CIT0008] Butler , J. (1998). . Excitable Speech. , [city: New York]: : Routledge. .

[CIT0009] Campbell , A.T. (1996). . “Tricky tropes; styles of the popular and the pompous. ”. In Popularising Anthropology. , Edited by: MacClancy , J. and McDonaugh , C. : 58.–. [city: London]: : Routledge. .

[CIT0010] Collier , A. (1994). . Critical Realisme. An Introduction to Roy Bhaskar's Philosophy. , [city: London]: : Routledge. .

[CIT0011] Corker , M. (1998). . Deaf and Disabled, or Deafness Disabled. , [city: Buckingham]: : Open University Press. .

[CIT0012] Corker , M. (2000). . Disability Politics, Language, Planning and Inclusive Social Policy. . Disability and Society , 15((3)): : 445.–.

[CIT0013] Corker , M. and French , S. (1999). , eds. . Disability Discourse. , [city: Buckingham]: : Open University Press. .

[CIT0014] Davis , J.M. (2000). . Disability Studies as Ethnographic Research and Text: Research Strategies and Roles for Promoting Change. . Disability & Society , 15((2)): : 191.–.

[CIT0015] Danermark , B. (2001). . Tvärvetenskapens förutsättningar och dynamic – exemplet handikappforskning. Opportunities and dynamics of interdisciplinary research – the exaple of disability research). . Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, , : : 288.–.

[CIT0016] Denzin , N. (1997). . Interpretative Ethnography: ethnographic practices for the 21st Century. , [city: London]: : Sage. .

[CIT0017] Dowling , M. and Dolan , L. (2001). . Families with Children with Disabilities—Ineqaulities and the Social Model. . Disability & Society , 16((1)): : 21.–.

[CIT0018] Edgerton , R. and Gaston , A. M. (1991). . “I've seen it all!! Lives of Older Persons with Mental Retardation in the Community. , [city: Baltimore]: : Paul Bookes Publishing Co. .

[CIT0019] Finkelstein , V. (1975). . To deny or not deny disability. . Magic Carpet, , : : 31.–.

[CIT0020] Finkelstein , V. (1980). . Attitudes and Disabled people. , [city: New York]: : World Rehabilitation fund. .

[CIT0021] Fischer , M.J. (1986). . “Ethnicity and the postmodern arts of memory. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcus , G.E. and Clifford , J . : 194.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .

[CIT0022] French Gilson , S. and DePoy , E. (2000). . Multiculturalism and Disability: a critical perspective. . Disability & Society , 15((2)): : 207.–.

[CIT0023] Geertz , C. (1993). . Local Knowledge. Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology. , [city: London]: : Fontana Press. .

[CIT0024] Goodley , D. (2001). . 'Learning Difficulties’, the Social Model of Disability and Impairment: Challenging Epistemology. . Disability & Society , 16((2)): : 207.–.

[CIT0025] Granovetter , M. (1973). . The strength of weak ties. . American Journal of Sociology , 78((6)): : 1360.–.

[CIT0026] Granlund , M. , Eriksson , L. and Almqvist , L. (2004). . “Delaktighet ‐begreppsdefinitioner och tillämpningar i ett livstidsperspektiv (Participation ‐ definitions and applications in a life‐span perspective). ”. In Delaktighetens språk (The language of participation). , Edited by: Gustavsson , A. [city: Lund]: : Studentlitteratur. . Forthcoming,.

[CIT0027] Gustafson , S. (2000). . Varieties of reading disability. Phonological and orthographic worg decoding deficits and implications for intervention. , Studies from the Swedish Institute for Disability Research no. 1Linköping University. . Diss..

[CIT0028] Gustavsson , A. (2000a). . Inifrån utanförskapet (Insiders’ perspectives om being an outsider). , [city: Lund]: : Studentlitteratur. .

[CIT0029] Gustavsson , A. (2000b). . Tolkningsteori II (Theory of interpretation II). Texter om forskningsmetod no. 5. , Pedagogiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet. .

[CIT0030] Gustavsson , A. (2001). . Studying personal experiences of disability: What happened to verstehen when Einfühlung disappeared. . Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research , 2((2)): : 29.–.

[CIT0031] Gustavsson , A. and Söder , M. (1990). . Social Forskning om Människor med Psykisk Utvecklingsstörning. En bibliograferad kommentar (Social Research on People with Intellectual Disability), , FoU‐rapport 1990: 1 from Vårdhögskolan in Stockholm

[CIT0032] Hermansson , H‐E. (2000). . Arbete i egen regi. Från arbetsmarknadsprojekt till social economi (Work under personal management. From labor‐market projects to social economy). , [city: Göteborg]: : Daidalos. .

[CIT0033] Hirsch , E.D. (1967). . Validity in interpretation. , [city: Yale]: : Yale University Press. .

[CIT0034] Hunt , P. (1996). . Stigma. , [city: London]: : Chapman. .

[CIT0035] Kjellberg , A. (2002). . Participation ‐ Ideology and Everyday Life. How to understand the experiences of persons with learning disabilities. , Studies from the Swedish Institute for Disability Research no.6Linköping University. . Diss..

[CIT0036] Llewellyn , A. and Hogan , K. (2000). . The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((1)): : 157.–.

[CIT0037] Luhmann , N. (1995). . Social Systems. , [city: Stanford], [state: CA]: : Stanford University Press. .

[CIT0038] Lupton , D. (1998). . The emotional self. , [city: London]: : SAGE Publications. .

[CIT0039] Mackelsprang , R. W. and Salsgiver , R.O. (1999). . Disability: a diversity model approach in human service practice. , [city: Pacific Grow]: : Books Cole. .

[CIT0040] Matsuda , M.J. , Lawrence , C.R. , Delgado , R. and Willimas , K. (1993). . Words that Wound: critical race theory?, assaultive speech and the first amendment. , [city: Boulder]: : Westview Press. .

[CIT0041] Mikailakis , D. (2002). . The systems theory concept of disability: one is not born a disabled person, one is observed to be one. . Disability & Society , 18((2)): : 209.–.

[CIT0042] Morris , J. (1996). , ed. . Encounters with Strangers: Feminism and Disability. , [city: London]: : Women's Press. .

[CIT0043] Oldenburg , R. (1999). . The great good place: Cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of community. , [city: New York]: : Marlowe & Company. .

[CIT0044] Oliver , M. (1990). . The Politics of Disablement. , [city: London]: : Macmillan. .

[CIT0045] Oliver , M. (1996). . Understanding disability. From Theory? to Practice. , The politics of disablement: Critical Texts in Social Work and the Welfare State[city: London]: : The Macmillan Press Ltd. .

[CIT0046] Oliver , M. and Barnes , C. (1998). . Disabled People and Social Policy. , [city: London]: : Longman. .

[CIT0047] Price , J. and Shildrick , M. (1998). . “Uncertain thoughts on the dis/abled body. ”. In Vital Signs: Feminist Refigurations of the Biological Body. , Edited by: Shildrick , M. and Price , J. [city: Edinburgh]: : Edinburgh University Press. . hermeneutique. Paris: Seuil..

[CIT0048] Rabinow , P. (1986). . “Representations of social facts: modernity & post‐modernity in anthropology. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcus , G.E. and Clifford , I. : 234.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .

[CIT0049] Ricoeur , P. (1986). . Du text â l'action. Essai d ‘hermeneutique II. (From text to action. Hermenautic essays II). , [city: Paris]: : Seuil. .

[CIT0050] Riggins , S.H. (1997). . The Language and Politics of Exclusion: others in discourse. , [city: London]: : Sage. .

[CIT0051] Shakespeare , T. (1997). . “Cultural representations of disabled people: dustbin of disavowal. ”. In Disability Studies: Past, Present and Future. , Edited by: Barton , L. and Oliver , M. : 217.–. [city: Leeds]: : Disability Press. .

[CIT0052] Swain , J. and French , S. (2000). . Towards an Affirmative Model of Disability. . Disability & Society , 15((4)): : 569.–.

[CIT0053] Söder , M. (1999). . Specialpedagogisk forskning mellan det kliniska och det kontextuella (Special Education Research: Between the clinical and the contextual perspectives). , [city: Bodø]: : Nordlandsforskning, NF8/99. .

[CIT0054] Trankell , A. (1973). . Kvarteret Flisan (The Block Flisan). , [city: Stockholm]: : Norstedts förlag. .

[CIT0055] Tyler , S. A. (1986). . “Post‐modern ethnography: from document of the occult to occult document. ”. In Writing Culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. , Edited by: Marcuse , G.E. and Clifford , I. : 122.–. [city: Berkeley]: : University of California Press. .

[CIT0056] Tøssebro , J. and Kittelsaa , A. (2003). . The study of disabled peoples’ living conditions — a review and analysis, [city: Trondheim]: Position paper published by the Department for social work NTNU,.

[CIT0057] Van Dijk , T.A. (1993). . Elite Discourse and Racism. , [city: London]: : Sage. .

[CIT0058] Van Dijk , T.A. (1996). . Racism and the Press. , [city: London]: : Routledge. .

[CIT0059] Whillock , R.K. and Sladen , D. (1995). , eds. . Hate Speech. , [city: Thousand Oaks]: : Sage. .

[CIT0060] World Health Organization (1993). . . International Classification Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (1CIDH). , [city: Geneva]: : World Health Organization. .

[CIT0061] World Health Organization (2001). . . International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). , [city: Geneva]: : World Health Organization. .

[CIT0062] Ödman , P‐J. (1979). . Tolknings, forstaelse, vetenade (Interpretation, understanding and knowledge). , [city: Stockholm]: : Norstedts. .

Reading: The role of theory in disability research ‐springboard or strait‐jacket?

Original Articles

The role of theory in disability research ‐springboard or strait‐jacket?

Author:

Anders Gustavsson

Departments of Education and Social work at Stockholm University

About Anders

X close

Abstract

References