War and Embodied Memory: Becoming Disabled in Sierra LeoneHow do you become an 'amputee', 'war-wounded', 'victim' or 'disabled' person? This book describes how an amputee and war-wounded community was created after a decade long conflict (1991-2002) in Sierra Leone. Beginning with a general socio-cultural and historical analysis of what is understood by impairment and disability, it also explains how disability was politically created both during the conflict and post-conflict, as violence became part of the everyday. Despite participating in the neoliberal rebuilding of the nation state, ex-combatants and the security of the nation were the government’s main priorities, not amputee and war-wounded people. In order to survive, people had to form partnerships with NGOs and participate in new discourses and practices around disability and rights, thus accessing identities of 'disabled' or 'persons with disabilities'. NGOs, charities and religious organisations that understood impairment and disability were most successful at aiding this community of people. However, since discourse and practice on disability were mainly bureaucratic, top-down, and not democratic about mainstreaming disability, neoliberal organisations and INGOs have caused a new colonisation of consciousness, and amputee and war-wounded people have had to become skilled in negotiating these new forms of subjectivities to survive. |
Contents
Intersections between Anthropology Disability Development and Conflict | |
A General and SocioHistorical Analysis of Impairment and Disability | |
The Political Background of the Creation of Disability | |
Creating National Memory | |
Rebuilding the Social World | |
Managing Life as an Individual? | |
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activities African amputee and war-wounded anthropology argues Atlantic slave trade begging Berghs biopolitical body camps Chapter colonial conflict context created cultural despite disability studies disabled people’s discourses donors DPOs ECOMOG economic elites ensure ex-combatants example explained Female Foday Sankoh Freetown funding Gberie gender global ideas identity implemented important inclusion individual INGOs Ingstad and Whyte involved Krio lack Leonard Cheshire linked living Lomé Peace Accord lower limb amputee majority world setting Makeni model of disability moral NaCSA needs neoliberal NGO worker noted organisations political post-colonial post-conflict poverty problems programmes PRSP rebels refugee rehabilitation reintegration reparations resettlement Shaw Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean Single lower limb skills training SLASC socio-cultural stories survival Temne understanding UNIPSIL United Nations victims village violence women World Bank World Health Organisation