Ingenious Embodiment: Learning from Disability Culture and Critical Disability Studies

Developed by
Helen Rottier, Program Coordinator, UW-Madison Disability Cultural Center
Miso Kwak, UW-Madison Disability Cultural Center
With support from Kelsey Foster & Karla J. Strand, Office of the GWSL
February 2025 

This bibliography is number 107a in the series “Bibliographies in Gender and Women’s Studies,” published by the University of Wisconsin System Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian. It was developed as part of “Embodying Feminism: Calling In, Calling Out, Calling to Action – A set of bibliographies supporting the 2025 Conference of the UW System Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium.”

Introduction 

“Disability is not a brave struggle or courage in the face of adversity. Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live.” – Neil Marcus    

Disabled artist Neil Marcus, along with many other disabled scholars, artists, and activists, knew that disabled embodiment is a source of wisdom and innovation. The ingenuity of disabled life provides a roadmap for surviving and thriving that is especially relevant in our present moment when embodiment is politically threatened and threatening. There is so much we can learn from disabled people as we navigate what it means to be a feminist, past, present, and future. 

Drawing on critical and feminist disability studies, this bibliography explores key sources on disability culture and embodiment. Sources include introductions to these topics and deeper dives on more focused issues. To honor that disabled wisdom shows up in many ways beyond academic publishing, we have also included a mix of articles, books, book chapters, videos, blog posts, and podcast episodes. 

Disability justice is the movement created and led by disabled people of color and disabled queer and trans people. We recognize that disability studies as an academic discipline is entangled in an inherently ableist and unjust education system and that we cannot theorize our way to disability justice. Nevertheless, disability justice remains central to our praxis, activism, and personal striving.  

If you are new to disability justice, we recommend the following resources: 

• Sins Invalid – 10 Principles of Disability Justice 
• Sins Invalid. (2019). Skin, tooth, and bone: The basis of movement is our people (second edition). Sins Invalid.

Also see bibliographies 98d (Crip Resistance in a Post-Covid World) and 103d (Disability Justice and the COVID-19 Pandemic).