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Stina Melander, photo.

Stina Melander

Senior lecturer | Recognised Teaching Practitioner

Stina Melander, photo.

The Personal is Political – And Then What? Ideology, Representation, and Legitimacy in a Swedish Disability Organisation

Author

  • Oskar Krantz
  • Stina Melander
  • Julia Bahner

Summary, in English

Background: Who can or cannot claim to represent other members within the disability rights movement has been discussed for decades, mainly concerning being disabled as an eligibility prerequisite. Aim(s): The aim is to analyse arguments concerning representational claims within a Swedish disability rights organisation (DHR, Disability Human Rights). Method: Every member of DHR was given the opportunity to answer three open-ended questions. Answers were subjected to a qualitative content analysis. Results: Two main dimensions of arguments were found. The ideological dimension legitimises representation through lived experience or a human rights approach. The pragmatic dimension legitimises representation through relational claims or organisational necessities. Further analysis revealed a paradox: When a representative is required to have a body with certain characteristics, other knowledge-related aspects risk devaluation. Conclusion(s): Paradoxically, the organisation has a goal of rendering impairment irrelevant in society, while rendering impairment a main issue when electing representatives.

Department/s

  • Department of Political Science
  • Civil Society and Social Movements
  • School of Social Work

Publishing year

2023-06-21

Language

English

Pages

198-211

Publication/Series

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume

25

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Stockholm University Press

Topic

  • Other Social Sciences
  • Social Work
  • Political Science (excluding Peace and Conflict Studies)

Keywords

  • Disability rights organisation
  • elected representative
  • representation
  • Sweden

Status

Published

Project

  • Representation in the digital era: Democratic consequences of changing engagement in the Swedish disability movement

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1501-7419