Disability in the Arab World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Interdisciplinary insights on disability in the MENA region

According to the World Health Organization, around 16% of the world s population lives with a disability, and it is estimated that approximately 80% of them reside in the Global South. Nevertheless, research on persons with disabilities is typically limited to the Global North. This interdisciplinary volume, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, linguistics, and development studies, addresses this discrepancy by providing new insights into disability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. While recognizing the significance of the medical approach, the authors seek to expand existing frameworks by including social, cultural and human rights perspectives. Engaging with both historical and contemporary contexts, Disability in the Arab World addresses issues such as the transmission and circulation of information in conventional and new media, and the colonial and postcolonial legacies affecting the study of disability.

Monika Baar is professor in the History of East-Central and South-Eastern Europe in the European University Institute in Florence, where she holds a Joint Chair with the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.

Amany Soliman is associate professor of Modern and Contemporary History and the director of the Mediterranean Studies Institute at the faculty of Arts in Alexandria University Egypt.