The Global Impact of the International Year of Disabled Persons (1981) in Historical Perspective
Cleveringa Lecture Prof. Dr Monika Baar
Monika Baar has been invited by the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo to give the Cleveringa lecture of 2018 on 26th of November. Her lecture is entitled ‘Historical Aspects on the Community Building, Integration and Quality of Life of People with Disabilities’.
More information on the event and the procedure of registration can be found in the invitation below:
Cleveringa lecture Invitation 2018
Leiden University, Institute for History, 21 – 22 March 2019
In recent years, ‘identity politics’ has evolved as a controversial, but also prolific concept within political, academic and activist debates. A growing body of literature sheds light on different assumptions about identity as a concept that is as much related to expressions of individuality and subjectivity as it is to specific social groups, typically described as outsiders on the margins of society and the political mainstream. Various groups like women, ethnic minorities, queer or elderly have strategically used identity as a tool for creating a common culture and gaining agency to bring about social change (Bernstein 2005). Against current discussions – are identity politics still valuable, and if not, what could be the way forward for political organizing as well as more personal processes of emancipation – this workshop wants to delve into disability as an identity.
Historically, disability politics have included both the professional and institutional negotiation of individuals as socially ‘deviant’ and ‘unfit’, as well as organized collective action from within communities of persons with disabilities themselves. How did these differing identities of disability come about? And of equal importance, in which ways did disability not become an identity? What kinds of identity formation processes can we detect in different societal contexts as well as cultural settings, and do these follow comparable or diverging trajectories?
As Julie Livingston (2006) has pointed out: « As disability history and disability studies increasingly open up to non-Western histories, opportunities arise not only for gaining new empirical knowledge but also for rethinking the very categories that underlie the socially constructed models [of disability] on which so much analysis rests. Botswana is different from the United States or France. Yet these countries’ histories are entangled in one another in complex ways that we have yet to even begin to unpack.»
This begs the question of how to take into account specific local contexts, transnational entanglements and exchanges, as well as intersectionality with other ‘identities’ like gender, class, ethnicity or age? What have historical examples beyond the dominance of Anglo-Saxon narratives to offer to the thriving field of disability studies? With this workshop, we hope that new, evidence-based studies on the identities of disability and ‘the disabled person’ from various places around the globe will not only shed light on historical conceptualizations, but may provide new reflections and insights on how we as scholars conceptualize disability today, and in which ways these two might be related.
We welcome original proposals that analyse the history of disability perceptions, expressions and identity formation processes within, beyond and across nation states and different cultural settings. The workshop is not confined in focus to any region, but encourages studies on areas that remain underrepresented in disability history, in particular Eastern Europe and the Global South.
A publication is envisaged on the basis of a selection of the papers presented during the workshop. However, the willingness to contribute to the publication is not a precondition for participation.
Applications are invited from historians and scholars from related fields working on the nexus of disability and identity at any stage of their careers and with diverse geographical backgrounds. We aim at providing an informal setting in which selected participants will present their research (up to 20 minutes) and engage in an open exchange of ideas and perspectives. If you wish to participate in the workshop, please send an abstract of about 350 words and a short CV no later than 1 November 2018 to the following email address: rethinkingdisability@hum.leidenuniv.nl. Questions to the organizers can be sent using the same address. Notification of acceptance will be given by the end of November 2018.
The conference will take place at Leiden University, in close vicinity to Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol). Catering will be offered to all selected participants at no cost, but participants will be expected to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. If you have any specific (accessibility) requirements, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate such requests. A small number of bursaries might be available on a competitive basis, an opportunity particularly intended for junior scholars and those without research funds from their own institutions. Please indicate when submitting your abstract if you would like to be considered for subsidy.
The workshop is initiated and hosted by the research team of the ERC project ‘Rethinking Disability: the Global Impact of the International Year of Disabled Persons (1981) in Historical Perspective’, based in the Institute for History at Leiden University.
The Call for Papers can be downloaded in pdf-format here.
For the International Convention of Asian Scholars (ICAS 11, 16-19 July 2019, Leiden The Netherlands) we aim to organize a panel in which we explore the question how postcolonial thought could further inspire the writing of disability histories in Asia. In Provincializing Europe Dipesh Chakrabarty shows that the social and human sciences unconsciously reflect the so-called European intellectual tradition, in which global historical time is dominated by the ‘first in Europe, then elsewhere’ structure. In disability studies it is not Europe which is placed in this dominant position, but the Anglo-Saxon disability rights movement. The beginning of this movement is often situated in the 1970s and its main achievements are considered to be the development of the so-called social model of disability and the claim of equal rights. Until today the Anglo-Saxon movement is inspiring disability activists and scholars worldwide and is considered as an exemplary movement – as becomes e.g. clear from the framing of the United Nations Convention on the Right of Disabled Persons (UNCRPD) which is rooted in this movement. Literature in disability studies frequently implies that developments in disability policy took place first in the Anglo-Saxon context and only then elsewhere, or that the Anglo-Saxon disability rights movement is at least a yardstick against which to measure progress.
We are looking for panellists who wish to present a paper about Asian disability histories that foster this intention of ‘provincializing’ by discussing questions like:
-how and why were disability rights in the Asian context influenced by (pan-)Asian understandings of human rights and how did these understandings influence international disability policies like the negotiations about the UNCRPD?
-what was the role of the exchange of ideas between self-advocacy groups between different Asian countries?
-how and why have activists and scholars in the Asian context used Anglo-Saxon disability concepts? How is this related to the use of concepts from other contexts? And how could Asian cases of disability self-advocacy be compared to cases from other places of the world?
If you are interested please contact us by sending an abstract of about 350 words no later than 9 September to the following email address: rethinkingdisability@hum.leidenuniv.nl. Questions to the organizers, Paul van Trigt and Monika Baar, can be sent using the same address.
Link ICAS 11: https://icas.asia/
Link research project Rethinking Disability: www.rethinkingdisability.net
The Rethinking Disability team invites all Leiden based scholars working on disability for a ‘Leiden disability studies lunch’! This lunch will take place on Wednesday 13 June 12.30-13.30 in the conference room of the Huizinga building, Doelensteeg 16 in Leiden. If you want to attend please send an email to: rethinkingdisability@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
International Conference to be held on 25-26 November 2018
Organizers:
Languages: English and Arabic (Presentations should preferably be in English)
Keynote Speakers
The socio-cultural issues concerning the lives of the persons with disabilities (PWD), their families and their environment present considerable challenges even in well-resourced regions of the world; let alone in countries experiencing certain economic or societal hardships. In either context, the study of the emancipation of people with disabilities cannot be undertaken without a broader enquiry into the historical, cultural and social contexts of the disabled citizens living in different times and locations around the world.
In recent decades, representatives of the emerging fields of medical humanities and disability studies have been constantly facing intellectual challenges arising from accelerating scientific developments in medicine and the bio sciences. These developments intrigued sociologists, historians, anthropologists etc. to dedicate more attention than ever before to the social and cultural aspects of the human body and human health. For instance, the enormous differences in health care expenditures across the world present an angle from which to ask questions about social justice, discrimination, exclusion, integration and the responsibility of the state or civil society towards certain groups with vulnerabilities. Disability is a concept around which social scientists can construct or deconstruct relations and representations between health and society, while scholars working in cultural studies may interrogate the formation of a distinct identity and sub-culture of people with disabilities. The MENA region with its cultural and historical peculiarities, and the Global South in more general terms, promises to be a very important location for analyzing how issues of physical and mental health intersect with social and economic concerns.
With a focus on the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region and the Global South, themes and topics of this international academic conference can include but are not limited to:
The conference is open to participants from the academia as well as for social activists and governmental representatives. An edited volume to be published by an international publisher is planned for selected research papers presented during the conference.
Presentations are welcome in English and Arabic but are preferred in English for practical reasons. Each presentation would be 20 minutes followed by a 10minutes discussion in a themed panel.
Proposals for cultural and artistic activities, whether presented by or about persons with disabilities, are welcome. The venue is accessible to participants and guests with disability.
Deadline: Please send a 300-500- word paper/activity proposal in English or Arabic before September 1st 2018 to (rethinking.disability.cairo@gmail.com)
For requests of participation, paper proposal or artistic contribution, kindly send your CV to the email address above.
For inquiries or questions kindly contact Dr Amany Soliman a.soliman@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Limited budget for contributing to the travel and accommodation of international participants with outstanding proposals is available on a competitive basis. This is intended for those who are not eligible for funding from their home institutions and who are committed to contributing to the envisaged edited volume. Please indicate at the time of application if you would like to be considered for a subsidy.
Kindly find the Arabic description.
For more information, please follow the Twitteraccount.
Cleveringa Annual Conference
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Disability:
The MENA Region in the Modern Period
Cairo 25-26 November 2018
Venue: Italian Cultural Institute in Zamalek-Cairo
Day 1 Sunday November 25th 2018
Registration: 9:00 – 9:30 AM
*****
Opening and Welcome Remarks: 9:30-10 AM
Dr. Rudolf De Jong
Director- Netherlands -Flemish Institute in Cairo
Dr. Paolo Sabbatini
Director- Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo
Prof. Monika Baár
Leiden University, the Netherlands
*****
Panel I: Keynote Speeches
10:00- 11:30 AM
Dr. Heba Hagrass
Member of the Egyptian Parliament and International Disability Consultant
“Transforming the Reality of Persons with Disabilities in Egypt: A Look Forward”
Dr. Shaun Grech
Critical Institute-Malta
“Disability and Poverty: Engaging Critical Disability Studies”
*****
Coffee Break 11:30-11:45
*****
Panel II: Disability in Modern History
11:45-1:45 PM
Moderator: Prof. Sara Scalenghe
– Dr. Gildas Brégain
Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, et L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, France
“The Transformations of the Policies of Assistance to the Blind in North Africa during the 20th Century (Algeria – Tunisia)”
– Dr. Abdelwahab Shaker
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
“Forgotten Voices: The Egyptian Labor Corps, Disability and the First World War”
– Mr. Sam De Schutter
Leiden University, the Netherlands
“A Pan-African Rehabilitation Network: The Creation of the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI) in the 1980s”
*****
Lunch Break 2:00-2:45 PM
*****
Panel III: Disability, Technology and Social Media
2:45- 4:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Rudolf De Jong
– Dr. Heba Fawzi El-Masry
Tanta University, Egypt
“The Taboo of Disability in Egypt: A Sociological Approach to Intra-lingual Translation of the Concept of Disability on Twitter”
– Dr. Engi Aboul-Ezz
Beni Suef University, Egypt
“The Image of PWD in Social Media, and its Reflection on Egyptian Users in Daily Life”
– Mr. Mohamed Sobhi
Bibliotheca Alexandrina , Egypt
“Human-Computer Interaction to Design the Smart Education System (SES) for Visually Impaired Users”
*****
Panel IV: Collective views on disability in the Arab World
4:00- 5:30 PM
Moderator: Prof. Monika Baár
– Prof. Sara Scalenghe
Loyola University, USA
“History of Special Education in the Arab World”
– Dr. Amany Soliman
Alexandria University and Leiden University
“The Arab Decade for Persons with Disability: Pan-Arab Civil Society Efforts and Disability Movements (1998-2014)”
*****
Coffee Break 5:30- 5:45 PM
*****
Panel V:
UNCRPD: Applications and challenges from the Arab World
5:45-7:00 PM
Moderator: Mr. Shaun Grech
– Dr. Majid Turmusani
UN disability consultant- Canada
“Challenges and Opportunities for the Implementation of CRPD in the Middle East: Insights from Iraq and Qatar”
– Dr. Riham Debian
Alexandria University- Egypt
“Into Arabic: UNCRPD’S Rights Discourse and the Politics of Interpretation in Translation”
*****
Roundtable Discussion
Views from Western Europe: Interdisciplinary Studies of Disability
7:00-8:00 PM
Moderator: Mr. Sam De Schutter
– Ms. Anaïs van Ertvelde
Leiden University, the Netherlands
– Ms. Anna Derksen
Leiden University, the Netherlands
______________________________________________
Day 2 Monday November 26th 2018
Panel VI: Disability in Arab Cinema and Literature
9:30- 10:45 AM
Moderator: Dr. Riham Debian
– Dr. Rasha ElGohary
Misr International University, Egypt
“The Story of Illness and Disability in Egyptian Movies”
– Ms. Basma Shelbaya
Cairo University, Egypt
“War, Violence and Disability in Literature: Comparative Texts from Syria and Europe”
*****
Panel VII: Success Stories from the Arab World
10:45- 12:45 PM
Moderator: Dr. Gildas Brégain
– Dr. Ghaleb ElNahedi
Sattam Ibn Abdelaziz University, Saudi Arabia
“The Positive Impact of Including Students with Intellectual Disabilities: in Saudi Arabia Schools”
– Taha Hussein Library for the blind and visually impaired
Bibliotheca Alexandrina- Egypt
– Helm Foundation presented by Ms. Amena EL-Saie
“Society without Barriers”
NGO, Egypt
*****
Coffee Break 12:45-1:00 PM
*****
Panel VIII: PWD Training and Integration in Egypt
1:00-3:00 PM
Moderator: Dr. Majid Turmusani
– Prof. Eman Mahfouz
Minia University- Egypt
“Linking Prevention and Equity Concept in Managing Disability”
– Dr. Mai Eid
Aswan University, Egypt
“Towards Universal Design in Architectural Education in Egypt”
– Dr. Dalia Elganzoury
Mansoura University, Egypt
“Civil Society and the PWD Community: Views from the Egyptian Delta”
– Mr. Ahmed Abouelsaad
Cairo University, Egypt
“Measuring/Analyzing the Inclusiveness of Schools from Architecture Perspective”
*****
Lunch Break 3:00- 3:45 PM
*****
Panel VIIII:
Disability between Islamic Shariaa and Civil Legislations
3:45- 5:15 PM
Moderator: Dr. Amany Soliman
– Prof. Hassan Sanad
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Minia University
“The Rights of the PWD between International Conventions and Egyptian Legislations”
– Dr. Mohamed Fawzi Abdelhay
AlAzhar University, Egypt
“Disability and Islamic Jurisprudence in Modern Times”
– Dr. Hamada Hassan
Minia University, Egypt
“From Islamic Shariaa to International Law: Protection of the PWD”
*****
Panel X:
Religiosity and Disability: Applications from Muslim Societies
5:15- 6:30 PM
Moderator: Dr. Mohamed Fawzi Abdelhay
– Ms. Bouchra Yahia
Radboud Nijmegen University, the Netherlands
“Islamic psychology: A religious perspective on human nature and mental health”
– Dr. Gihan Othman
Alexandria University, Egypt
“Religiosity and Emotional Balance: Application on Muslim PWD Egyptian Children”
– Ms. Hadil Lababidi
Friedrich- Alexander University, Germany
“Perspectives on Dementia in Islam”
*****
Coffee Break 6:30- 6:45 PM
*****
Cleveringa Annual Lecture
6:45- 8:00 PM
Prof. Monika Baár
Professor of History- Leiden University
Principal Investigator of ERC project: The Global Impact of IYPD 1981in Historical Perspective
“Historical Aspects on the Community Building, Integration and Quality of Life of People with Disabilities”
Introduced by: Dr. Said Fares
Leiden University Alumnus – Lecturer at AlAzhar University
We are pleased to announce that Yale University professor of law and history Samuel Moyn will be giving a lecture at Leiden University on June 13th. The renowned scholar in the field of European intellectual history and human rights history will be discussing the relationship of human rights law and movements to their global economic context between the successive eras of national welfare states and of neoliberal globalization.
Leiden University – 22-23 March 2018
This workshop is organized by the ERC project ‘Rethinking Disability’. It is intended to bring together early-career researchers from different fields working on international organizations, to discuss methodological challenges together with peers and established scholars. A combination of a master class, keynote lectures, and roundtable discussions aims at providing an informal and interactive setting for the exchange of ideas and perspectives. (more…)
Leiden University – 22-23 March 2018
This workshop is organized by the ERC project ‘Rethinking Disability’. It is intended to bring together early-career researchers from different fields working on international organizations, to discuss methodological challenges together with peers and established scholars. A combination of a master class, keynote lectures, and roundtable discussions aims at providing an informal and interactive setting for the exchange of ideas and perspectives. Confirmed speakers include:
14 June 2017
17:00 – 18:00 hrs.
Wijnhaven Building
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DP Den Haag
Room 3.46
Conference at Leiden University (location The Hague), on 14-16 June, 2017. Venue: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/locations/wijnhaven-building#tab-1 (Wijnhaven Building, room 318)
A .PDF document with the programme is also available here
