MASCULINITY, FEMININITY AND DISABILITY IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

CRITICAL REVISION OF STEREOTYPICAL SOCIOCULTURAL CONSTRUCTS IN SUPPORT OF THE EMPOWERMENT OF INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITIES

Abstract

In this paper we shall analyse representative and inspiring examples of male and female characters with disabilities within contemporary literature written in Spanish that challenge the preconceived, discriminatory and scarcely comprehensive and currently dominant archetypes of masculinity, femininity and disability. Our analysis will be based on a review of the traditional and hegemonic paradigmatic models and identities attributed to men, women and people with disabilities in our cultures and communities, as well as on the claims and new trends stemming from gender studies and disability studies, which demand a conceptual and social evolution towards more holistic perceptions of the difference which recognise and allow for diverse, plural and intersectional identities. These coinciding requests and reconceptualisations in both fields of study share an interest in the theory of intersectionality and in a conception of language as tool to build realities and identities, among other common grounds. These two key theoretical proposals enable progress towards more realistic, critical, informed and inclusive representations of human diversity in fields of cultural production, such as literature. Thus, we shall advocate for an alliance between gender studies and disability studies which may contribute to more inclusive practices in the rewriting and reshaping of texts and societies.