Epistemic injustice as a bridge between medical sociology and disability studies

TY - JOUR

T1 - Epistemic injustice as a bridge between medical sociology and disability studies

AU - Mladenov, Teodor

AU - Dimitrova, Ina

N1 - Funding Information: Bulgarian National Science Fund. Grant Number: 2763 Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for SHIL (SHIL).

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - This paper explores the potential of the perspective of epistemic injustice to reconcile medical sociology’s attention to the micro level of experience and interpersonal exchange, and disability studies’ focus on the macro level of oppressive structures. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the concept of epistemic injustice and its key instances – testimonial, hermeneutical, and contributory injustice. We also consider previous applications of the concept in the fields of healthcare and disability, and we contextualise our investigation by discussing key features of postsocialism from the perspective of epistemic injustice. In the second part, we explore specific epistemic injustices experienced by people who use disability support by drawing on interviews and focus groups conducted with parents of disabled children in present-day Bulgaria. In our conclusion, we revisit our methodological and theoretical points about the potential of epistemic injustice to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges between medical sociology and disability studies.

AB - This paper explores the potential of the perspective of epistemic injustice to reconcile medical sociology’s attention to the micro level of experience and interpersonal exchange, and disability studies’ focus on the macro level of oppressive structures. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the concept of epistemic injustice and its key instances – testimonial, hermeneutical, and contributory injustice. We also consider previous applications of the concept in the fields of healthcare and disability, and we contextualise our investigation by discussing key features of postsocialism from the perspective of epistemic injustice. In the second part, we explore specific epistemic injustices experienced by people who use disability support by drawing on interviews and focus groups conducted with parents of disabled children in present-day Bulgaria. In our conclusion, we revisit our methodological and theoretical points about the potential of epistemic injustice to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges between medical sociology and disability studies.

KW - disability rights

KW - epistemic injustice

KW - parental advocacy

KW - postsocialism

KW - professional power

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85129767963

U2 - 10.1111/1467-9566.13479

DO - 10.1111/1467-9566.13479

M3 - Article

C2 - 35543112

SN - 0141-9889

VL - 45

SP - 1146

EP - 1163

JO - Sociology of Health & Illness

JF - Sociology of Health & Illness

IS - 6

M1 - 18

ER -