Social justice: redistribution and recognition—a non‐reductionist perspective on disability

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present some recent contributions to discussions on social justice and recognition in the context of disability research. Nancy Fraser's theory of redistribution and recognition, and her endeavour to include both a materialist and a cultural perspective in a theory of justice is examined. We also discuss Honneth's Hegelian‐informed model of recognition. Critical realism, emphasizing a non‐reductionist perspective, is briefly presented and, finally, we put forward some ideas on how to analyse and understand disability within such a framework.

Notes

∗ Corresponding author: Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Örebro University, SE‐701 82 Örebro, Sweden. Email: [email protected]

We draw on Silvers et al. (1998).

In working out The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) the variety of conceptual models proposed to understand and explain disability and functioning is recognized and ICF is apprehended as based on an integration of two opposing models, a ‘medical’ one and a ‘social’ one. (WHO 2001, chapter 5.2; see also Üstün et al., 2001, p. 7).

‘Impairments are problems in body function or structure such as significant deviation or loss’ according to the ICF and we do not argue this conceptualization, but would qualify it by pointing at the fluent and not permanent, context‐bound and socially constructed aspects of impairments.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Berth Danermark ∗

∗ Corresponding author: Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Örebro University, SE‐701 82 Örebro, Sweden. Email: [email protected]