Narrating the Unruly Body: Disability, Femininity, and Counter-Discourse in Women's Autobiographies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2025.v10.n10.005Keywords:
Disability Autobiography, Feminist Disability Studies, Intersectionality, Counter-Discourse, Ableism, Patriarchy, AgencyAbstract
Women’s disability autobiographies occupy unique position within resistance literature, challenging the restrictive paradigms of gender and ability, addressing the double marginalization faced by women who are disabled. This article examines women's disability autobiographies as potent sites of counter-discourse that challenge intersecting oppressions of ableism and patriarchy. The study aims to analyse texts by Malini Chib, Rebekah Taussig, and Shivani Gupta through an intersectional feminist disability studies framework. The analysis reveals how these authors try to deconstruct normative ideals of femininity and how they reclaim agency through their narratives. The study argues that these life writings are not merely personal testimonials but are acts of political resistance that redefine concepts of normalcy, forge collective identity, and contribute significantly to feminist and disability scholarship.
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This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
