The politics of aesthetics in negotiating identity among university students with disabilities in Sri Lanka

Herath, Subhangi (author)

Due to highly limited opportunities for higher education, gaining access to universities becomes paramount in the identity construction of students with disabilities in Sri Lanka. Opportunities for involving in artistic events are seen by them as occasions that bring them to limelight. Based on interview and case study data, the article demonstrates how body politics surrounding an aesthetic event contributes to fluid identities among these students. It concludes that while such an event could be a temporary catharsis for them, it also caters to justify their disability status, hampering the positive impact aesthetics could have on their self-identity formation.

• Language: English
• Work type: Not categorized
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2015
• Number of pages: Str. 777-791, 816
• Numbering: Letn. 52, št. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-85419
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• UDC: 378:159.923.2-056.26-057.87(548.7)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 33479005
• Publication date in RUL: 20.09.2016

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Ker imajo na Sri Lanki študentje in študentke s hendikepom zelo omejene možnosti za visokošolski študij, postane dostop do univerz bistvenega pomena pri konstrukciji njihove identitete. Zato vidijo možnosti za sodelovanje na umetnostnih dogodkih kot priložnosti, da so opaženi. Na temelju intervjuja in podatkov iz študije primera, v članku prikažemo, kako politika telesa, ki se navezuje na estetski dogodek, prispeva k fluidnim identitetam med temi študenti in študentkami. Sklenemo z ugotovitijo, da jim tak dogodek sicer lahko začasno prinese katarzo, vendar pripomore tudi k upravičevanju njihovega statusa hendikepiranosti, s čimer zavira morebitni pozitivni vpliv estetike na oblikovanje njihove samoidentitete.