Diversity and Divisions in the Disability Movement. Disability, gender, and social justice
Agneta Hugemark, Department of Sociology, Uppsala University, Sweden
Christine Roman, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Örebro
University, Sweden
There is a lively discussion going on in the social sciences about
minority groups and their claims for social justice. Universalism versus
difference and redistribution versus recognition are two important issues of
debate. Taking our point of departure in this debate, the present paper takes a
closer look at the social justice claims articulated by
the Swedish disability movement. To be more precise, we discuss how questions
of representation, collective identities, and needs interpretations are dealt
with in a number of disability associations. One important assumption guiding
our study is that the interpretations of members needs, how their needs can
best be met, and who is to have the legitimate right to communicate their needs
are questions subject to constant debate. The aim is to demonstrate some of the
complexities confronting the disability movement in its struggle for social
justice. To be more specific, we set out to show two things: (i) how different
kinds of justice claims are balanced by the investigated organizations, and
(ii) that the demands for cultural recognition and socioeconomic redistribution
are raised not only by the disability movement vis-ā-vis the state, but also by
groups within the disability movement vis-ā-vis other groups in the movement.