The Sociological Imagination is having the ability to see the relationship between ordinary lives of people and broader social issues. I found that the text Signifying Bodies by G.T Couser formulated the basis for a reader to understand the notion of the term, sociological imagination. Couser does not blatantly declare that our perception and acceptance of those who are disabled are cultivated because of society and its institutions. Instead he explains that there are barriers put in place to ensure that the marginalized stay marginalized.

C. Wright Mills wrote a book called “The Sociological Imagination” and within that he delves into the idea that in order to understand society, its institutions and how they construct the way humans function, we must first grasp the concept of sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is imperative when looking analytically at anything regarding society because it looks at context as a much larger picture. A key argument in The Promise is that it explains why we must use our sociological imagination. This is because individuals assign their problems as their own personal failure, rather than as a social issue. The point here is that there are no real “private problems”. Anything that we consider to be a consequence of our own lack of capability is a result of a greater social issue.

“Reader is conscripted as an appreciative, admiring witness of this victory but is not encouraged to question the status quo” (34)

Henceforth, in Couser’s text, he claims that for members of marginalized groups, autobiography may be the most accessible of literary genres (31) and this is because it enables the marginalized to unfold their circumstances. While people with disabilities are considered marginalised, “having a disability may disqualify you from living the sort of life that is traditionally seen as autobiography worthy” (31). Therefore, it is feasible to say that not being “worthy” of writing an autobiography when disabled is not a personal trouble but rather a public issue. The public issue is a direct result of a problem within society- that problem being, people with disabilities are removed from what is seen as the “norm” and as such automatically put at a disadvantage.

“Disqualification lies not in the individual incapacity but in social and cultural  barriers does not change the fact that people with disabilities are less likely to live traditionally narratable lives and thus less likely to write an autobiography.” (32)

The sociological perspective is the unique way in which sociologists look at society. This includes 4 rough perspectives which guides sociologists understanding of how the world works. Sociologists look for social and sociological causes (not individual causes), general patterns (not unique events), hidden relationships and rules (what happens when you break the norm, also known as “norm breaching”), and they also try to debunk myths and stereotypes.

As a sociologist and a scholar, I can use inductive reasoning to conclude that humans like to witness “success stories” because we like to believe that we can be “more than”. With regards to disability, it is thought of as something that needs to be “overcome” because it is “depressing” and those with disabilities tend to be pitied. Therefore, as readers, if we are presented with an autobiography that illustrates someone “overcoming” their disability with the help of religion, for example “this positive outcome is considered inspiring and thus generalizable to the lives of the general reading public”. (33)

Inductive Reasoning: Observation -> Pattern -> Tentative -> Theory

“It is here that “rhetoric” and “disability” crucially intersect: in effect, people with disabilities may be granted access to the literary marketplace on the condition that their stories conform to preferred plots and rhetorical schemes.” (33) Therefore, this means that even though the autobiographies are “true” they don’t “honestly” reflect the life of a disabled person. The stigma of a disabled person remains intact for the audience as the autobiographer proves they passed the hurdle, but illustrates that there was a hurdle to begin with. The concept of there being something to overcome indicates that having a disability is the problem of the individual “rather than of social and cultural accommodation”. (34) The issue with “…preferred rhetorics rarely challenge stigma and marginalization directly or effectively”. (33)

Furthermore, a disability is constructed as a private trouble because of the lack of accommodating institutions that are in place in our society. From a functionalist perspective, the concept of institutions remaining constant is because there is a belief that because institutions are necessary, then they should not be changed. There is also the assumption that all institutions are good for everyone. Another reason as to why disability remains as a personal issue is because there is an “internalization of prejudices” (32). This is similar to other marginalized groups because if one were to accept society’s devaluation of them, then it would reinforce and emphasize the stigma.

“Stigma serves to silence the stigmatized” (32)

 

 

 

References

Read C. Wright Mills’ Chapter in The Sociological Imagination here

All page references (e.g.- (31)) are related to Signifying Bodies by G.T Couser