Re-reading Exile and Pride. One thing I appreciate is its resistance to simple narratives.

The history of the #freakshow cannot be reduced to exploitation alone: it involved #ableism, #racism and unequal power, but for some disabled performers it also offered income, visibility, #community and a degree of autonomy that was difficult to find elsewhere, at the time.

Likewise, #medicalisation cannot be reduced to either progress or oppression. It can bring care and relief, while also producing surveillance, epistemic injustice and new forms of control.

#exileandpride #eliclare #disabilityStudies #disability #disabilityhistory #reading #books #bookstodon