Thus far, we’ve covered five of the main features of the biomedical model - the model that underpins so much of the theory behind the way physiotherapy functions. These have been: Specific aetiology, or the search for the specific cause of the patient’s signs and symptoms Germ theory and the belief that illness is caused by disease within the body Cartesian dualism and the mind-body split Objectivity and experimentation And reductionism, or the anti-holistic belief that the person can be understood as a collection of systems and structures In this penultimate post, we’ll look at normalisation. Normalisation is the belief that certain people, certain … [Read more...] about What is the biomedical model #6
3rd Critical Physiotherapy Course this week – Gail Teachman, Pierre Bourdieu, and the End of Inclusion
This month's Critical Physiotherapy Course talk comes from Gail Teachman, Assistant Professor, School of Occupational Therapy at Western University in Canada. Zoom link: https://aut.zoom.us/j/788298318 As always, the course is free, all you need to do is log in with above Zoom address at the right time. Here are the times in your local area: Location Local Time Time Zone UTC Offset Auckland (New Zealand - Auckland) Thursday, 18 April 2019 at 8:00:00 a.m. NZST UTC+12 hours Sydney (Australia - New South Wales) Thursday, 18 April 2019 at 6:00:00 a.m. AEST UTC+10 hours Perth (Australia - Western Australia) Thursday, 18 April 2019 at 4:00:00 … [Read more...] about 3rd Critical Physiotherapy Course this week – Gail Teachman, Pierre Bourdieu, and the End of Inclusion
CPN Colloquium: Physiotherapy – bodies, professional practices & identities. Cardiff 5th July 2017
colloquium n. an informal gathering for discussion The Cardiff colloquium is an event organised and hosted by CPN members for CPN members. This informal event takes its inspiration from a proposal to organise a virtual unconference posted during the CPN's '30 Days in September' campaign. The Cardiff colloquium offers an opportunity for CPN members to come together to share experiences and ideas about researching Physiotherapy - bodies, professional practices and identities from a critical perspective. We will also be connecting (for part of the day) with the CPN Salon in Cape Town to have a critical conversation about our dreams and visions for the future of the network. Date: 5th … [Read more...] about CPN Colloquium: Physiotherapy – bodies, professional practices & identities. Cardiff 5th July 2017
Thomas Abrams – Dis/Abling Practices – 30DoS #13
“Disabling Practices” applies a science and technology studies lens to Disability Studies and the sociology of blindness. Drawing on ethnographic work in the North of England, Schillmeier follows the disclosure of visual disability in currency use, how relations between human bodies and money technologies cause visual disability to emerge. The emphasis moves from problem bodies to problem relations. Dis/ability is not solely in bodies or in barriers—as the social or medical models would have it—but unfolds in the interaction between bodies, senses and things (the subtitle of Schillmeier, 2010, integrating this 2007 article). I first read Schillmeier’s work in my M.A. research, in … [Read more...] about Thomas Abrams – Dis/Abling Practices – 30DoS #13
Barbara Gibson – Embodying the monster – 30DoS #6
In this post, CPN co-founder and Exec member Barbara Gibson talks about Margrit Shildrick's book Embodying the monster. Spanish translation provided by CPN Exec member Alma Viviana Silva. Embodying the Monster is a feminist postmodern and historical reading of the monstrous body and the Western desire to eliminate aberration and vulnerability. Drawing on cultural theory, biomedical discourse and multiple historical and contemporary examples, Shildrick eloquently argues for a reconceived ethics of the body (and disability) that accepts the irreducible vulnerability of all persons. I was fortunate to take a course with Dr. Shildrick when she was in Canada and this book was our core … [Read more...] about Barbara Gibson – Embodying the monster – 30DoS #6
Why do things need to work?
One of the most enjoyable things about in the Critical Physiotherapy Network is the license it gives you to ask questions about the profession that other people might find ridiculous. There's a long history of the study of stupidity and idiocy in philosophy (see Shaw 2016, for example), and I'd like to think we make some small contribution to that with our Network. Look at our Objectives and you will see that it is part of our constitution to develop 'a culture & appreciation for the exploration of all views that deviate from conventional thought & practice in physiotherapy' (Object #4, link). So in the spirit of asking ridiculous questions, I'll confess that for some time now … [Read more...] about Why do things need to work?
Wild bodies
Robert Macfarlane is currently one of the UK's best-loved non-fiction authors. His recent book Landmarks is a tour de force of physical and metaphorical walks through the landscape - literal and linguistic - of Britain's ancient physical language. In Landscapes Macfarlane writes about the word hoard that surrounds the 'islands, rivers, strands, fells, lochs, cities, towns, corries, hedgerows, fields and edgelands uneasily known as the British Isles.” (Link to The Guardian book review). I love Macfarlane's writing, not least because it's so physical. Reading a Macfarlane book is like an exploration into the language of the body and its interaction with the natural world. There are a … [Read more...] about Wild bodies