Lived identity and citizenship Anders Gustavsson Professor at the Department of Education, Stockholm...

Lived identity and citizenship

Anders Gustavsson

Professor at the Department of Education, Stockholm University

From a citizenship discourse to an identity discourse

• 1970s-1980s

Disabled people have difficulties in everyday functioning and they are therefore entitled to special support and services.

• 1990s-

Disabled people are excluded through stigmatization and ’othering’: We (non-disabled people) and They (disabled people).

Two Foci of Identity

• The personal identity, i.e. the subjective experience of who I am.

• The social identity, i.e. experiences of myself as an object of people’s perspectives.

Current policy, legislation and how rights are fulfilled

The public identity

The subjective The objectiveexperience of experiencecitizenship of citizenship

Everyday interaction with significant others

What is a citizen?

The individual’s relation to the state:

• Rights (Marshall)

• Obligations (Stone)

The distributive dilemmaStone (1984)

• The work system:

people working for their own living

• The needs system:

youth, old age, widowhood, sickness, disability (means special needs)

Two ways of managing the distributive dilemma

• The traditional distinction between first and second class citizenships

• You have to qualify to be recognized as a full citizen

• Long-term social benefits means loosing the right to vote, etc

• The welfare state categorical exemption

• A special citizenship, in the sense stronger, but also…

… a threat to the public identity

• As the categorical exemption is often based on a medical or psychological assessment of dysfunction or weakness

• As the categorical exemption demands a ‘low-enough’ standard of living

… meaning second class public identity

A Swedish study of disabled people’s influence on public services (Söder et al 1990:1),illustrating different types of

public identity

The influential consumersTaken for granted rights and often satisfaction with the services they have got.  … sometime dissatisfied trying to influencesuccess satisfaction 

A strong, positive, public identity based on a strong faith in special rights to people with special needs

The rebel

Taken for granted rights but

… often dissatisfaction trying to influence

dissatisfied with the result continued fight

An ambivalent public identity, founded both on a strong faith in rights to service and on a threat to the specific type of identity maintained by the rebels

The powerless

Taken for granted rights but

… often dissatisfaction trying to influence

no success trying to influence

A public identity with some strength but exposed to a certain threat

The resigned I

Little faith in one’s own right

Dissatisfaction trying to influence no success

resignation because of poor support

Spoiled public identity

The resigned II

Little faith in one’s own right

Dissatisfaction trying to influence no success

resignation because of one’s own shortcomings

Spoiled public identity

The silent consumer

The seem to take their rights for granted and seem satisfied with the services they have got

Probably a public identity based on a strong faith in special rights to people with special needs

Three types of threats to the citizenship/ public identity

Second class citizenship is a weakened public identity

The categorical exemption is often understood as a second class public identity

The basic definition of citizenship in terms of cognitive competence and rationality weakens the public identity of intellectually disabled people

Déconstruire le Handicap(Deconstruct the Handicap)

  Roland DEMONET &

Louis MOREAU de BELLAING 

Published by the CTNERHI, ParisCollection Etudes et Recherches

The citizenship as an obligation to contribute to the common goodSociety is maintained through mutual obligations of the citizens to contribute to a common goodWork makes the human being a citizen. ‘The productive work in the common interest is the result of the hability, skill and intelligence by which it is carried out’.

Adam Smith 1723-1790

Citizenship and Reason

Citizenship is defined in terms of :

• Equality• Brotherhood• Freedom

But some citizens are more

• Equal• Brothers/sisters• Free

than others!

Unreason Reason

Non- - Abnormalcitizen - Dependent

- Incapable of social contract

- Normal- Autonomous

Citizen - Capable of social contract

The classical definitions of citizenship/public identity

The citizenship as a social pactHuman beings are in perpetual fight with each other In order to protect themselves they enter into social pacts‘The power of these pacts is unknown to children and idiots.’

Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679

The citizenship as the basis for the freedom of the individual human beingHuman beings have the natural right to freedom and property. These rights are maintained through mutual consent among citizens.Only reasonable and rational human beings can come to mutual consent. In describing the necessary conditions for citizenship, Locke outlines a distinction between imbecility and madness.

Johan Locke 1632-1704

The citizenship as a social contract between equal people It is natural for equal human beings to enter into social contracts that constitute the basis for civil society and its laws. However, civil society and law must be founded on reason and rationality. ‘Law can not be grounded on madness (unreason)!’.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778

Conclusion

•Is citizenship unachievable for intellectually disable people?

•No, but we seem to need a new concept of citizenship, less founded

on work and cognitive competence!!