Abstract:

This project explores a parallel between gender and disability as normative social identities starting from the hypothesis that norms about both ability and gender are 'fundamental' to our social practices: they both have a special ubiquity, centrality and persistence. Drawing from earlier research, Lopes argues that ability norms, unlike most other social norms, work similarly as preconditions for social standing. If this is right, there may be common challenges for social change regarding both gender and disability.