Lived identity and citizenship Anders Gustavsson Professor at the Department of Education, Stockholm...
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Transcript of Lived identity and citizenship Anders Gustavsson Professor at the Department of Education, Stockholm...
Lived identity and citizenship
Anders Gustavsson
Professor at the Department of Education, Stockholm University
From a citizenship discourse to an identity discourse
• 1970s-1980s
Disabled people have difficulties in everyday functioning and they are therefore entitled to special support and services.
• 1990s-
Disabled people are excluded through stigmatization and ’othering’: We (non-disabled people) and They (disabled people).
Two Foci of Identity
• The personal identity, i.e. the subjective experience of who I am.
• The social identity, i.e. experiences of myself as an object of people’s perspectives.
Current policy, legislation and how rights are fulfilled
The public identity
The subjective The objectiveexperience of experiencecitizenship of citizenship
Everyday interaction with significant others
What is a citizen?
The individual’s relation to the state:
• Rights (Marshall)
• Obligations (Stone)
The distributive dilemmaStone (1984)
• The work system:
people working for their own living
• The needs system:
youth, old age, widowhood, sickness, disability (means special needs)
Two ways of managing the distributive dilemma
• The traditional distinction between first and second class citizenships
• You have to qualify to be recognized as a full citizen
• Long-term social benefits means loosing the right to vote, etc
• The welfare state categorical exemption
• A special citizenship, in the sense stronger, but also…
… a threat to the public identity
• As the categorical exemption is often based on a medical or psychological assessment of dysfunction or weakness
• As the categorical exemption demands a ‘low-enough’ standard of living
… meaning second class public identity
A Swedish study of disabled people’s influence on public services (Söder et al 1990:1),illustrating different types of
public identity
The influential consumersTaken for granted rights and often satisfaction with the services they have got. … sometime dissatisfied trying to influencesuccess satisfaction
A strong, positive, public identity based on a strong faith in special rights to people with special needs
The rebel
Taken for granted rights but
… often dissatisfaction trying to influence
dissatisfied with the result continued fight
An ambivalent public identity, founded both on a strong faith in rights to service and on a threat to the specific type of identity maintained by the rebels
The powerless
Taken for granted rights but
… often dissatisfaction trying to influence
no success trying to influence
A public identity with some strength but exposed to a certain threat
The resigned I
Little faith in one’s own right
Dissatisfaction trying to influence no success
resignation because of poor support
Spoiled public identity
The resigned II
Little faith in one’s own right
Dissatisfaction trying to influence no success
resignation because of one’s own shortcomings
Spoiled public identity
The silent consumer
The seem to take their rights for granted and seem satisfied with the services they have got
Probably a public identity based on a strong faith in special rights to people with special needs
Three types of threats to the citizenship/ public identity
Second class citizenship is a weakened public identity
The categorical exemption is often understood as a second class public identity
The basic definition of citizenship in terms of cognitive competence and rationality weakens the public identity of intellectually disabled people
Déconstruire le Handicap(Deconstruct the Handicap)
Roland DEMONET &
Louis MOREAU de BELLAING
Published by the CTNERHI, ParisCollection Etudes et Recherches
The citizenship as an obligation to contribute to the common goodSociety is maintained through mutual obligations of the citizens to contribute to a common goodWork makes the human being a citizen. ‘The productive work in the common interest is the result of the hability, skill and intelligence by which it is carried out’.
Adam Smith 1723-1790
Citizenship and Reason
Citizenship is defined in terms of :
• Equality• Brotherhood• Freedom
But some citizens are more
• Equal• Brothers/sisters• Free
than others!
Unreason Reason
Non- - Abnormalcitizen - Dependent
- Incapable of social contract
- Normal- Autonomous
Citizen - Capable of social contract
The classical definitions of citizenship/public identity
The citizenship as a social pactHuman beings are in perpetual fight with each other In order to protect themselves they enter into social pacts‘The power of these pacts is unknown to children and idiots.’
Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679
The citizenship as the basis for the freedom of the individual human beingHuman beings have the natural right to freedom and property. These rights are maintained through mutual consent among citizens.Only reasonable and rational human beings can come to mutual consent. In describing the necessary conditions for citizenship, Locke outlines a distinction between imbecility and madness.
Johan Locke 1632-1704
The citizenship as a social contract between equal people It is natural for equal human beings to enter into social contracts that constitute the basis for civil society and its laws. However, civil society and law must be founded on reason and rationality. ‘Law can not be grounded on madness (unreason)!’.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778
Conclusion
•Is citizenship unachievable for intellectually disable people?
•No, but we seem to need a new concept of citizenship, less founded
on work and cognitive competence!!