Disability as a Socio-cultural Construct
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Department of English
Abstract
This thesis talks about the existence of physical or mental disability in literary
discourse constructed by so called “able” that contribute in devaluating, stigmatizing
those who do not meet the criteria defined by the able. My argument isthat, disability
is not an inborn human weakness or a misfortune but a politico-cultural construct of
the disability experience as such. Lucy Grealy in “Pony Party”,Nancy Mairs in
“Carnal Act”, Barbara Rosenblum in “Living with an Unstable Body”,andVed
Mehta in “Bells” frankly recount their experiences of what it means for them to be
disabled.These texts seek to argue thatindividuals with disabilities may experience
an existential crisis that may be triggered by the stigma related to having a disability,
as well as by conditions created by disability itself.