Politicising Polio
Disability, Civil Society and Civic Agency in Sierra Leone
Buch in deiner Nähe kaufen
Beschreibung
This book examines disability in post-war Sierra Leone. Its protagonists are polio-disabled people living in the nation’s capital of Freetown, organizing themselves as best as they can in a state without welfare. There is little concrete support for people with disabilities in a country where the government is struggling with the competing requirements of the international community, demanding - in exchange for its support - good standards of democracy and the maintenance of a free market economy. To what extent is the Human Rights framework of the disability movement effective in protecting the polio-disabled and what are the limitations of this framework? Diana Szántó’s detailed ethnography reveals, through many real-life examples, the vulnerability of disabled people living in the intersections of poverty, informality and disability activism. At the same time, it also tells about the many ways the polio-disabled community is transforming vulnerability into strength.
- An original contribution which develops new theoretical work in political anthropology and anthropology of disability.
- Effectively links polio disability with post-war peace building and state reconstruction.
- Engaging ethnographic approach guides the reader into a rich and complex universe, which remains hidden for most external observers.
- Speaks to the broader political agendas of post-Cold War neoliberalism and conflict resolution, especially in Africa, but also well beyond.
- Provides a retrospective analysis of factors leading to the historic turn towards the emergence of global illiberalism.
An original contribution which develops new theoretical work in political anthropology and anthropology of disability Effectively links polio disability with post-war peace building and state reconstruction Engaging ethnographic approach guides the reader into a rich and complex universe, which remains hidden for most external observers Speaks to the broader political agendas of post-Cold War neoliberalism and conflict resolution, especially in Africa, but also well beyond Provides a retrospective analysis of factors leading to the historic turn towards the emergence of global illiberalism
Autor*in
Diana Szántó
Themen in »Politicising Polio«
disability studies Sierra Leone critical global health Post War Reconstruction West Africa Global South anthropology of Africa political anthropology poverty civil society democratization NGOs liberal peace governance agency
Stimmen zu »Politicising Polio«
“This is an author who knows how to unsettle the basic meaning of a condition and to invite us to rethink what we think we know. Brilliant work. And deeply unsettling even when confronted with beauty.” (Saskia Sassen, Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, author of Expulsions)
“So much more than a study on disabilities. Szántó takes us deep into understanding urban poverty and the local workings of the international humanitarian aid regime. Rich in detail and insight, a rare and profoundly human book that ought to be read in wider circles than just by the specialists.” (Mats Utas, Professor in Cultural Anthropology at Uppsala University, Sweden)
“This is a detailed, anthropological exploration of polio and its aftermath in Sierra Leone, that covers so much – disability, institutionalisation, development charities, self-help and radicalism – and reads like a novel, it is so endlessly fascinating. I wish it has been available to read before I went to Freetown!” (Tom Shakespeare, Professor of Disability Research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)
()