Rethinking disability through the political model of disability: an autoethnographic study of the Tembo Mvura people in Zimbabwe
Mutanga O.
2026Routledge
Disability and Society
2026
This article critiques traditional Western disability models, such as the medical, social and biopsychosocial models, by introducing a political model of disability based on the lived experiences of the Indigenous Tembo Mvura people in Zimbabwe. Displaced from their ancestral lands and marginalised by national and global political forces, this community faces unique disabling conditions shaped by systemic political decisions rather than individual impairments or societal barriers. Utilising an autoethnographic approach, this article highlights how land dispossession, restrictive environmental policies, and political exclusion have impoverished the Tembo Mvura people and created disabling conditions. The article argues for a shift from resilience to resistance, emphasising political agency as key to addressing these challenges. By presenting a political model of disability, this article provides a comprehensive framework for understanding disability in postcolonial contexts and advocates for the inclusion of marginalised voices in disability discourse and policy reforms.
disability and impairment , Indigenous communities , political exclusion , political model of disability , postcolonial , resilience and resistance
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Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Open Distance Learning Research Unit, College of Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Graduate School of Education
Open Distance Learning Research Unit
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026