SSP Equality and Social Justice Lecture, 2017

The first Equality and Social Justice lecture was delivered by Professor Tom Shakespeare on 9th November 2017. A world-leading expert in disability studies, medical sociology and the social and ethical dimensions of genetics, Professor Shakespeare has been highly influential in contributing towards the disabled people’s movement in the UK and internationally. Beyond this, Professor Shakespeare has had longstanding involvement in improving public understandings of disability, as well as the policies, institutions and practices that shape its experience. The title of Professor Shakespeare’s lecture was: “Levers of success; understanding the achievements of African people with disabilities”. Drawing on data from over 100 in-depth interviews with disabled people across rural and urban settings, Professor Shakespeare explored the category and experience of disability across four developing countries in Africa. Professor Shakespeare argued that the barriers facing and opportunities of disabled people in developing contexts could only be effectively understood if questions concerning culture, religion, resilience and structural expectation are fully incorporated into mainstream debates and social action surrounding disability and development. Professor Shakespeare also highlighted the need to re-think the relationship between relative inequality and disability at a global level in light of the structural and institutional conditions faced within developing countries.

University of Leeds

11/9/2017 4:02:26 PM