Contradictory articulations of citizenship via the (post-)polio body

ABSTRACT

In Switzerland, polio was eradicated in 1989; however, individuals infected with the virus in the 1940s and 1950s are still alive today. Decades after their infection, many polio survivors were subsequently affected by post-polio syndrome (PPS) – a cluster of long-term consequences from the initial virus leading to further disabling symptoms. During the course of their lives, they had to deal with their changing bodies and, consequently, changing needs in a fluctuating social environment. They have engaged in citizenship projects by having to articulate their bodies in contradictory ways to negotiate the Swiss welfare system and to become rights-bearing citizens. By analysing their different citizenship projects, the article focuses on the multiple roles the body plays in this process. Using ethnographic data, the article analyses how the body is articulated to claim disability-related citizenship rights by looking at issues of work, disability activism and, finally, PPS in old age.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• post-polio
• life course
• social policy
• citizenship rights

Acknowledgments

This research would not have been possible without the openness of the senior citizens living with PPS who shared their life stories with me during my research. I am very grateful to them. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors of this special issue for their insightful feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This article draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with senior citizens with mobility disabilities in the German-speaking part of Switzerland between March 2015 and August 2016. The study scrutinised how people with mobility disabilities manage to age in a time of positive aging paradigms (Calasanti 2016; Lamb 2014, 2017).

2. All names used in this article are pseudonyms.

3. The WHO’s International Classification of Disease, which is used by the Swiss state to determine which conditions are eligible for health insurance benefits etc.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francesca Rickli

Francesca Rickli recently finished her PhD in social anthropology at the University of Zurich. She has worked with people with different disabilities and ages and has an interest in social welfare and healthcare systems.