Abstract
Who should be considered the most unhappy, the blind or the deaf? The intensive debate over this issue in the early 19th century is the outset of our study of how during the last two hundred years disability and happiness have become inextricably connected. On the basis of our historical analysis we have identified characteristics that also can be found in current happiness interpretations, namely the persistent role played by activation, professional intervention, and alignment with normative behaviors. In order to highlight this intimate connection between past and present we subsequently focus on the contemporary preoccupation with the happiness of people with disabilities, exemplified by research on the so-called “disability paradox” and the development of happiness indices within the behavioral sciences. Our thesis is that applying perspectives from disability studies to happiness research uncovers processes of exclusion and other modalities of power previously overlooked. In our examples, we recognize a desire to lay bare the inside of disabled people’s minds and impose on them un/happy subjectivities. We furthermore argue that the way we think of, and treat, both disability and happiness, i. e. by systematization and professionalization, belongs to a rationalization process which risks colonizing the emotional realm of disabled people. Thus we suggest a research program that ‘dis/ables’ happiness studies and, aided by historical analysis, reconsiders the emotional dimension of disability.
Highlights
Who should be considered the most unhappy, the blind or the deaf? The intensive debate over this issue in the early 19th century is the outset of our study of how during the last two hundred years disability and happiness have become inextricably connected
We will demonstrate how an application of a critical disability studies approach towards the field of happiness is possible; but that it enables disability scholars to deepen their awareness of societal processes that have determined the way disability is treated in Western societies
The precondition to achieving this goal is that the barrier between the observers and the emotions of the disabled must be broken down, making them knowable, that is, the emotional realm is penetrated by rationalizing efforts that describe and manage the un/happiness of disabled people
Summary
My point is not that everything is bad, but that everything is dangerous, which is not exactly the same as bad. As Ahmed points out, the classicist notion comes suspiciously close to classism and recalls power structures within society (Ahmed 2007/2008) This goes, for the utilitarian happiness scientists: Ahmed quotes a summary of the available research, where the happy person is embodied as a well-to-do, conservative inhabitant of a politically stable and prosperous country, a member of the majority with a harmonious marriage and social life, healthy, active, and with a sense of control The emergence of so-called ‘happiness indices’ within the behavioral sciences will be brought into analysis These happiness indices, as we will see, are considered tools for objectively determining the un/happiness of individuals with certain disabilities, and subsequently ensuring that happiness is maintained.. These happiness indices, as we will see, are considered tools for objectively determining the un/happiness of individuals with certain disabilities, and subsequently ensuring that happiness is maintained. In analyzing these examples, we will demonstrate how an application of a critical disability studies approach towards the field of happiness (studies) is possible; but that it enables disability scholars to deepen their awareness of societal processes that have determined the way disability is treated in Western societies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
