Disability and postsocialism

Teodor Mladenov’s critically important analysis of disability policies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and their ongoing transition with the dismantling of state socialism and the emergence and normalisation of neoliberalism is further rigorously examined in this latest rendition of his work. Drawing upon the work of Nancy Fraser and her three-tiered approach to the dilemmas of justice within the post-socialist age (Fraser 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2013), Mladenov provides the reader with a clear, concise and insightful critique of the positionality of disability within the CEE.

Disability and Postsocialism is structured in a highly coherent manner. Mladenov is consistent in his approach to the application of Nancy Fraser’s conceptual frame of the post-socialist age. Critical application of Fraser’s three tiers of justice is evenly applied and rigorously developed. Also, each chapter follows the same format with sub-headings. This makes the core themes of the book highly accessible. Moreover, readers can readily identify the inter-linkages between each chapter. The book opens with a succinct overview of core terms and concepts – all of which are applied throughout consistently. The three primary empirical chapters undertake a nuanced analysis through a single tier of Fraser’s theoretical frame. Chapter Two therefore focuses on disability and maldistribution, Chapter Three examines disability policy and the processes of misrecognition, and Chapter Four explains the political spheres of disability and misrepresentation. The final chapter, ‘Conclusion – Postsocialist Disability Matrix’, illustrates the inter-relatedness of the three tiers and the capacity to undermine or extend either area of justice.

Integrating an assemblage of historical and current policy, and secondary data alongside broader research from the CEE, Mladenov provides a rich narrative of the movement from former state socialism to the neoliberal age. Rather than suggesting that there has be a total dismantling of the prior state socialist disability order, Mladenov’s engaged analysis illustrates core policy continuities of many disability policies that were in place prior to the dismantling of state socialist CEE and how many of these policies have been embedded further across the region. This aspect of the book is important, as the analysis provides an opportunity to understand the strategic orientations of states undergoing radical transformation, and the ways in which state elites harness, respond to or co-opt the language of disability movements to maintain state power within the polity, even at times of significant upheaval.

Mladenov’s concise application of a core conceptual frame to undertake the assemblage of policies across the region is extremely effective and very well organised. This is a core strength of the book. Each section integrates a diverse body of scholarship to inform readers of the broader context features. The inclusion of this broader body of scholarship also adds explanatory significance to the structural and institutional landscape of disability within the region. This makes the work and Mladenov’s narrative incredibly comprehensive.

Mladenov’s reasoned arguments provide a fine scholarly example of theoretically rich yet empirically grounded analysis. The layout of the material, the ongoing dialogue between Mladenov’s theoretical tenants and local structural and institutional histories, coupled with empirical interrogation of disability within the CEE region, also makes this book an exemplary example for supervisors and doctoral candidates. It can provide a framework of how to weave the conceptual and the empirical, in a critically coherent path, across each chapter to final conclusion, particularly during those moments of feeling overwhelmed by complex empirical sources.

The core concern for some readers may be the absence of personal narratives of disabled peoples within the CEE. Given the concise empirical chapter structure – policies during state socialism against the marked distinction of the neoliberal era – some would suggest that the experiences of disabled people, specifically those who have experienced the transition across the two periods, would add a layer of depth to the overall analysis. This is clearly warranted. Yet I would suggest that this would be a different book. Mladenov’s textual focus of disability policies at the structural and institutional level opens a window to examining and understanding the convergence and divergence of such policies, and simultaneously elucidating structural and institutional continuities, disruptions and generative effects that, despite public imaginings, often remain embedded in their historicity. It is a highly effective book and the work clearly achieves its ambitions.

I have no hesitation in recommending Disability and Postsocialism. The book reads well. It is highly informative. It provides a strong synthesis of the changes to the CEE landscape within the realm of disability policy and politics. This is an excellent example for doctoral students of what is required to undertake a well-argued critical policy analysis, moments of changes and their impacts, through rich conceptual and empirical engagement.

Karen Soldatic
Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
[email protected]