Trapped in our past: the price we have to pay for our cultural disability inheritance

Abstract

The importance of culture in understanding cross‐cultural phenomena is now widely acknowledged. This paper seeks to explore the impact of the Greek‐Cypriot culture on constructing notions of disability which dominate popular culture and education. Since culture cannot be understood without the study of history, this analysis takes a historical character. The findings presented in this paper are part of a larger research project regarding the personal and political experience of disability in Cyprus during the period 1966–2004. This paper focuses on how the concept of disability was constructed in Cyprus through political, social, religious, and educational responses to disabled children and adults mainly during the period 1970–90. The relationship between culture and segregation, medicalisation and charity is analysed. The current turn towards inclusive rhetoric is also explained. The paper ends with a critical consideration of our cultural inheritance regarding disability and it draws the connection with non‐inclusive practice currently taking place.

Keywords:

• disability
• culture
• inclusive education
• Cyprus

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Dr Lesley Dee for her continuous support and positive influence on my thinking while this research was being carried out. I also acknowledge the Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (ORS) and the Gates Cambridge Trust for sponsoring the total cost of my PhD studies.

Notes

1. All the quotes have been translated to English from the original Greek by the author. In a few cases, the translated terms are now considered oppressive (e.g. mentally retarded), but at the time they were recorded they were commonly used. The author maintained the terminology used in primary documents as this adds to the analysis.

2. The capital letters in State, Church and Society denote the relevance of these bodies to the Cypriot context.