Complicating, Not Explicating: Taking up Philosophy in Learning Disability Research

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to theoretical ideas and practices from the so-called “philosophers of difference” — Foucault, Derrida, and Deleuze and Guattari — as an invitation to think differently about the construction of learning disability and to envision new forms of learning. Two key concepts, Foucault's transgression and Deleuze and Guattari's rhizome, are presented, and examples from research on learning disability and other dimensions of disability are given to illustrate their potential. The theoretical practices of deconstruction, developed by Derrida, and Deleuze and Guattari's rhizomatic analysis are also presented and exemplified. The article argues that these theoretical concepts and practices, if taken up, shift the researcher towards an ethics of research and toward greater responsibility. Implications are discussed in the final part of the paper.