Disability history in France: past, present and future

Abstract

Abstract What is disability? How might a focus on disability as a category of human experience change the way we think and write about the French past? In this roundtable seven historians discuss the emergence of disability studies in France, assessing the continued relevance of classics in the field as well as new directions in research. Scholarly attention to disability, the contributors argue, has the potential to transform modern French historiography, not only by challenging our understanding of major ‘turning points’ such as the French Revolution or the world wars, but offering fresh insights into race, class and gender identities, as well as citizenship, inclusion and belonging in French society.