The Contribution of Human Sciences to the Field of Disability in France over Recent Decades

Abstract

This article only looks at France, and even within this narrow framework it does not pretend to be exhaustive. Several well-known authors have marked the way we think about disability. Goffman for example, with his sociology of interaction, provided a theory and stimulated research on the representations and analysis of institutions. By reconstituting the history of madness, Michel Foucault and Robert Castel legitimized the analysis of disability as a field of research and as a privileged locus of exclusion. As a counterpoint to Foucault, Marcel Gauchet revealed the difficult but necessary democratic requirement for inclusion. In addition to existing contributions, it is therefore necessary to highlight that which has not yet been mobilized. For example, Georges Canguilhem's reflection on the relationship between the living and the life milieu; Foucault's notion of “pastoral power” for an analysis of associations; Freud's concept of “uncanny”, which deserves greater attention than that which it has already received. Succinctly put, the area of disability in France would have a great future, if it were given the resources.