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The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.

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Other Authors: Van Marle, Karin
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2020
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Van Marle, Karin
author_browse Van Marle, Karin
author_facet Van Marle, Karin
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2020 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:58.345Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/77402 The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria Van Marle, Karin u13247884@tuks.co.za Johnson, Adetokunbo UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. The main research problem in this study is whether law and specifically the human rights framework can speak to the lived experiences and realities of the disabled Nigerian woman. This thesis reflects the frustrations that I experience with my own intersectional identity as a (Nigerian, Yoruba and disabled) woman. These frustrations begin with Nigerian law, specifically its human rights framework and its perception of the disabled woman. One illustration is that the law demands that one must choose between being a woman (identity category) and being disabled (identity category). Yet, the disabled woman has trouble choosing one of these established identity categories because she is a woman and disabled at the same time. The law makes these demands without necessarily recognising and contemplating the interaction and intersection between sex(ism) and disability (discrimination). Unfortunately, because the disabled woman does not neatly fit into the human rights categories, she is labelled deviant and denied protection.1 In most cases, Nigerian law even makes the choice: on the strength of the disability the law decides that one is less of a woman and more disabled, and so refuses to contemplate and recognise the gendered and emergent nature of disability.2 Thus the limits of the law and human rights in speaking to the complex and intersectional lived realities of the disabled Nigerian woman become evident. The law, and specifically the human rights framework, is often portrayed as a saviour of some sort. For instance, a number of commentators point to the need for a Nigerian law and human rights framework that will protect the rights of disabled persons.3 The acquisition of rights, particularly for vulnerable groups who have previously been denied access to these rights, can be empowering and there is no denying the value of a legal and human rights framework. This in turn raises the question that is asked in this thesis. The position I hold is that law and specifically the human rights framework, while having enormous value, is limited in its ability to speak to the lived realities of disabled women. In my view, this limitation results from a failure to recognise the complexities, interactions and intersections that exist between identity categories such as sex, gender, ethnicity or race, sexuality, class, age, culture, religion and disability. Specifically, in this case, the law fails to recognise the interactions and intersections between sex(ism) and disability (discrimination) in the country. However, I argue that the product of these unacknowledged interactions and intersections crucially underlie and form the lived realities of the disabled woman. Jurisprudence PhD Unrestricted 2020-12-21T09:53:36Z 2020-12-21T09:53:36Z 2020/04/09 2019 Thesis Johnson, A 2019, The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/77402> A2020 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/77402 en © 2020 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title_full The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title_fullStr The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title_short The voiceless woman : countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in Nigeria
title_sort voiceless woman countering dominant narratives concerning women with disabilities in nigeria
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/77402