Theorising Disablement through the Collective-Materialist Approach to Disabling Capitalism

Abstract

This article offers a theory of disablement within contemporary capitalism by complementing and building on the UPIAS-inspired social model of disability. It first explores a variety of divergences between different models of disability, to then propose five tenets for the collective-materialist approach to disablement . These tenets are: considering disablement as both oppression and exploitation; using the “subjects of disablement” 1 as a collective and non-identitarian concept alongside already-existing identity terms; centring the “collective” alongside the “social”; struggling for autonomy and Independent Living, and adopting an anti-productivist politics. The abolition of disabling capitalism and the transformation of the institution of work are the ultimate goals of the collective-materialist approach and its related practice.