Rethinking transition in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union through the lens of disability

Abstract

The concept of disability can serve as a valuable lens through which a host of established subjects can be revisited in a new light. These include welfare and “welfare dependency,” unemployment, gender relations, social movements, and grassroots activities, the impact of international norms such as human rights and their application in local contexts, and the impact of neoliberal reforms. Despite this potential, disability, unlike the concepts of class, “race,” sexuality, and ethnicity, has yet to make inroads into the field of postsocialist studies. It is precisely this lacuna which our special issue seeks to address.