Learning to Live with Parkinson’s and ‘An Unpredictable Body’ as an Aging Man: An Investigation into Age, Masculine Identity and Disability

Abstract

The central focus of this chapter is to closely examine the embattled conflict between disability and men and masculinities in the life history of one man called Peter. The dynamic conflict between disability and masculinities consists of the opposing associations of disability-dependency, weakness and vulnerability-and masculinities that are usually perceived as strong, autonomous and powerful (Shuttleworth, Wedgwood and Wilson, 2012; Gershick and Miller, 1994). This leads me to ask the key, research question: How do disabled men like Peter negotiate the interaction between disability and masculinities in his aging life? Peter is a 64-year-old, white, heterosexual, disabled man. Parkinson’s was diagnosed in his life six years ago as a late-onset, degenerative impairment. He is married with two children. He was born into a middle class family and he has followed his father in becoming a vicar in the Church of England. After working in the church he became the director of a large, voluntary organisation and then later worked for the local city council in education.