LFU:online

In this course we analyse discourses of normalcy, ableism and their critique in theories of representation. The objective is for students to develop critical research perspectives on historical and contemporary cultural representations of “disability“  and “illness“, as well as their imbrications with imaginations of “normalcy” and “health”.

The course addresses representations of “disability” and “illness” and the historical dis/continuities within regimes of visual cultures. By focusing on alternative forms of reading, representation, and image production we will discuss moments of dis/order and re/structure of visual regimes.

Through the discussions of key texts and inputs, the central discourses, paradigms and perspectives of Cultural Dis/ability Studies will be approached. Besides getting to know the theoretical toolkit, the main analysis will deal with forms of representation and cultural productions by self-organized movements. Historical and contemporary examples will be examined concerning their strategies of representation and the social responses they invoked. The inherent ideas of “health”, “normalcy”, and “aesthetics” will be reflected upon in order to sharpen our analytical perspective. With their help, students will develop a theoretical and practical toolkit to enable individual analysis of different representations of “disability” and “illness”, as well as of forms of resistance. Our goal is to open up the opportunity to escape the binaries of “disabled/non-disabled”, “sick/healthy” (Arztmann/Egermann 2015), to unlearn dominant ways of looking, and to develop forms of “staring back” and “telling off”.

Inputs by the lecturers and invited guests, preparatory readings, plenary discussions and group work on a variety of materials and texts, mini-research project in small groups, including a presentation with handout

Continuous attendance and active participation, mini research project and presentation + handout (group), written reflection-paper (individual)

Will be announced at the beginning

Jonah I. Garde, studied Development Studies at the University of Vienna and now works on his PhD project to un/timley bodies at Bern University.

Doris Arztmann studied political science at the University of Vienna. Works at University Klagenfurt and pursues her PhD project on educational politics and inclusion.

With the participation of:

Elisabeth Magdlener, head of CCC** - Change Cultural Concepts. Lecturer in the field of Queer DisAbility Studies. She is part of the worldwide DanceAbility Movement.

Eva Egerman is a Vienna based artist and activist. Editor of the Crip Magazine series. Her PhD project deals with Crip Modes of Artistic Research.

http://cripmagazine.evaegermann.com/

http://bidok.uibk.ac.at/projekte/behindertenbewegung/

jonah.garde@izfg.unibe.ch, doris.arztmann@univie.ac.at