Call for Papers - Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal

February 1, 2008

Human Security, Social Cohesion and Disability

Guest Editors:

• Gregor Wolbring, Program in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, Dept of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary;

• Anita Ghai, Department of Psychology Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi;

• Kirk Allison, Program in Human Rights and Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota;

Human security and social cohesion are two central requisites for the medical and social well being of disabled people. Science and technology (S&T) advances often seen as essential for disabled people also impact on human security and on social cohesion. Human security according to the Commission on Human Security is concerned with safeguarding and expanding people's vital freedoms. It requires both shielding people from acute threats and empowering people to take charge of their own lives. The Commission identified economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, political security, freedom from fear, and freedom from want as primary concerns.

Social cohesion in very general terms means: All that which brings people together (European New Towns Platform). In Canada the following description is in use: "Social cohesion is the ongoing process of developing a community of shared values, shared challenges and equal opportunity within Canada, based on a sense of trust, hope and reciprocity among all Canadians." (Jeannotte and Sharon, 2001). This has also been articulated complementarily in terms of social capital which has been defined among others as "features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit" (Putnam 1995).

More about the concepts can be found in the below references:

• Gregor Wolbring (2006). Human Security and NBICS
  
• Gregor Wolbring (2007). NBICS and Social Cohesion
• Caroline Beauvais and Jane Jenson.(2002) Social Cohesion: Updating the State of Research. Canadian Policy, Research Networks, Canadian Heritage, Ottawa.
• European New Towns Platform (2005). "The Top 8 Specific Challenges for Social Cohesion in New Towns."
• Definitions of Social Capital
• Social Captial Initiative, Working Paper 1, 1998

We are honored that the theme for an issue of The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal will be human security, social cohesion and disability. This topic is chosen because the discourse around human security and social cohesion is of central importance for disability studies and for the well-being of persons with disabilities. At the same time discourses in disability studies can crucially clarify and test the discourses of human security and social cohesion.

Thus, we urge potential contributors, regardless of their fields of training, to articulate their ideas about human security, social cohesion and disability. We especially encourage contributors to envision:

• Future threats to human security and social cohesion including threats linked to new and emerging sciences and technologies processes and products and their impact on disabled people.

• How disability studies discourses have generated tools and will continue to generate tools which can be used to minimize future threats to social cohesion and human security.

• Other possible prevention strategies and fixes to possible future threat to human security and social cohesion.

We encourage the submission of empirical case studies and theoretical models and we especially encourage contributions which cover the topic from a low income country background.

Potential contributors to this Special Issue might consider:

1. What is the "disability," the discrimination angle of human security and social cohesion?
2. What is the body image angle of human security and social cohesion?
3. What is the importance of the disability studies angle on human security and social cohesion for other marginalized groups, for the marginalized majority of the world?
4. What are potential future threats to human security and social cohesion and what would the impact be on disabled people?
5. What are the cultural angles of human security and social cohesion?
6. What is the role and potential of law?
7. What empirical evidence and theoretical models illuminate the processes and effects?
8. What is the impact of emerging social concepts such as transhumanism, which is?
9. What is the impact of new and emerging sciences and technologies?
10. What role does or could disability studies be playing in the interaction between new and emerging sciences and technologies and human security and social cohesion?
11. How do or do not the human security and social cohesion discourses serve the needs of disabled people?
12. What are the connections between human security and violent conflict?
13. What are the relationships between development and poverty reduction, human security, and the prevention of violent conflict?
14. What is the impact of natural disasters on those with disabilities in terms of security and cohesion
15. How can social capital be discussed in context of disabled people, human security and social cohesion?

Send via email 250-word abstracts, by March 31^st, 2008 to Guest Editors Gregor Wolbring; Anita Ghai and Kirk Allison. Please be sure to send abstracts to all editors. For those abstracts that are selected, they will request completed articles of approximately 3000-5000 words two months after the note of invitation to submit a full article was sent. Note: an invitation to submit an article based on an abstract does not guarantee publication of that article in The Review of Disability Studies.

For more information about The Review of Disability Studies, click here.