The Peace Studies – Disability Studies Nexus

1. The Peace Studies – Disability Studies Nexus Society for Disability Studies Annual Meeting San Jose, CA June, 2011 Art Blaser, Ph.D., J.D. blaser@chapman.edu

2. Venn Diagram: Nexus of Peace Studies, Disability Studies

3. Peace Studies • Justice Studies, World Order Studies • Positive Peace • War and Peace Studies, Conflict Studies, Security Studies • Allied Interdisciplines: Women’s Studies, Queer Studies, Ethnic Studies, International (Global) Studies, Genocide Studies, Environmental Studies, Futures Studies, others

4. Disability Studies • Evolution of the field • Role of impairment, enhancement, disablement • Contributions of various disciplines: sociology, history, political science, anthropology, literature, education, performing arts, others

5. Some Publications • Peace Studies • Peace and Change • Journal of Peace Research • Journal of Peace Education, others • Disability Studies • Disability Studies Quarterly • Disability and Society • Review of Disability Studies, others

6. Common Characteristics • Challenging debate on definition of the field • Distrust of hierarchy • Value explicit • Futures oriented • Comparative, Global Focus • Tension between aspiration, achievement

7. Examples PWD’s in Politics & Society Disability and the Law Upper division undergraduate Includes attention to comparative (rights/movements), international organizational (CRPD, ECHR) dimensions Role of public interest law • Lower division undergraduate • Critical comparisons of approaches • Medical: deficit • Social/Political • Comparative rights, justice movements • Comparison with other social movements, past & future

8. The Nexus in Social Inquiry • Demographics • Aging population • IDPs, refugees from wars, Veterans • Study of “human security” • Relation to human development

9. Venn Diagram: 5 sets, for instance disability studies, peace studies, women’s studies, genocide studies, ??