Advanced Topics in Middle East & North African Studies (390-3-1)
Topic
What Is Normal: Biopolitics, Disability, and the S
Instructors
Aseel Abulhab
Meeting Info
University Hall 218: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
Course title: What Is Normal: Biopolitics, Disability, and the State
What is ‘normal?' How do societal definitions of normal impact the experiences of people with disabilities? How does the state govern disabled bodies, and to what degree does the state use disability as a form of political control? This course will first focus on theories of governmental control as they relate to people with disabilities and will then explore how disability is socially influenced, constructed, and implicated in power. In the second half of the course, we will focus on case studies from around the world. Together, we will examine the social and governmental mechanisms that regulate organ transplantation in Egypt, debilitation in Palestine, psychiatric disorders in Japan, and cochlear implantation in India. We will seek to understand the relationship between the state and people with disabilities, including how definitions of ‘normal' are imposed, perpetuated, and internalized at all levels of society, and how these definitions are contested by people with disabilities. Readings and materials will incorporate different mediums, including graphics and ethnographic film. Accessible readings from interdisciplinary scholars will address themes of artistic collaboration and community action in relation to race, gender, ability, and indigeneity. Along with participation, evaluation will be based on a site visit reflection, a class discussion facilitation, a short media analysis paper and presentation, and final paper or creative project. In addition, there will be two movie screenings scheduled during the quarter.
Learning Objectives
This course lies at the intersection of Disability Studies, Anthropology, and MENA Studies. It provides an introduction to the theory of biopolitics and anthropological methods. Class readings, seminar discussions, a site visit and reflection, a class facilitation, a short paper, and a final project will evaluate students' grasp of the theoretical frameworks and issues relevant to understanding the intersection of disability and the state.
During this course, students will:
• Co-create a class community in which we may communicate our needs and talk openly and compassionately about issues of race, gender, sexuality, ability, and indigeneity
• Develop familiarity and comfort with terms including "normality," "biopolitics," "power," and "cure," as well as ethnography and multimodal methods
• Practice facilitating classroom discussion and speaking in front of their classmates
• Analyze the arguments, methods, and interventions of scholarly texts by closely and critically engaging interdisciplinary readings
• Hone critical research skills by developing and executing a research-based writing or creative project, according to the student's inclination
Class Materials (Required)
Hamdy, Sherine. "Lissa: A Story about Medical Promise, Friendship, and Revolution."
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area