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The Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory pp 595–616Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Spasticus Auticus: Thinking About Disability, Culture and Leisure Beyond the “Walkie Talkies”

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Abstract

Beginning with a discussion of Spasticus Auticus, Kuppan argues that leisure is fundamental to human happiness and fulfilment. It therefore must follow that leisure is of equal value to disabled personhood, communicating a strong sense to disabled people about who they are, what they feel and what they believe is important in their lives. However, in an age of neoliberalism and post everything, where the agentic, acquisitive individual is valourized as pre-eminent, there are constraining structural, discursive and affective forces that inhibit the opportunities available to disabled people to pursue meaningful leisure experiences. Using the frameworks of materialist Disability Studies and disability politics, Kuppan unpicks these veiled operations of power as evidenced through leisure and cultural life. While late modernity has opened up more possibilities for disabled people to enjoy leisure, there continues to exist a plethora of barriers. These attitudinal and spatial prohibitions call for Leisure Studies and Disability Studies to find deeper points of contact in their analysis and critique.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carnegie Faculty, Centre for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Leeds Beckett University, Cavendish Hall, Headingley Campus, Leeds, LS6 3QU, UK

    Viji Kuppan

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  1. Viji Kuppan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Carnegie Faculty, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Karl Spracklen

  2. Carnegie Faculty, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Brett Lashua

  3. Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Erin Sharpe

  4. Health and Life Sciences, York St John’s University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Spencer Swain

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Kuppan, V. (2017). Spasticus Auticus: Thinking About Disability, Culture and Leisure Beyond the “Walkie Talkies”. In: Spracklen, K., Lashua, B., Sharpe, E., Swain, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Leisure Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56479-5_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56479-5_34

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-56478-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56479-5

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