Wie spreekt – over wie?: Poëzie in disabilitystudiesperspectief

Abstract

In the field of poetry, Literary Disability Studies remains surprisingly silent. Furthermore, disability studies in general has paid surprisingly little attention to intellectual or cognitive impairments. To fill these gaps, this article concentrates on Dutch poetry about and by people with intellectual disabilities. Closereading three case studies from the past century, this reading demonstrates how poetry reflects the evolving perspective on what we now refer to as neurodivergence. From the medical or pathological view, via the socio-constructivist view, and finally to a new paradigmatic position in which lived experiences of disability take the stage. However, poetry is not a transparent reflection of historical discourse; in its use of metaphor, irony, and apostrophe, it resists simplistic interpretation. In its own polyphonic and polyvalent way, poetry actively participates in the ongoing dialogue about the role of disability in discourses on normality, equality, and power.