Choosing ‘Stereotypes’: debating the efficacy of (British) disability-criticism

This paper considers how, by paying attention to the divergent use of ‘stereotypes’ as a methodological tool, we concomitantly pay attention to the capacities of contemporary disability-criticism. Firstly, the search for negative stereotypes is described in terms of how it enables the repeated citation of common examples. However, as some areas of disability-criticism have begun to acknowledge that ‘stereotypes’ are not exclusively a negative form, the second part of the paper uses the US cartoon series South Park to explore what sort of interpretations such a troublesome recognition allows. While critical discourse on disability is discussed as a whole the ultimate aim is to draw some conclusions about the past, present and future of British disability-criticism. The paper concludes by suggesting that recognising the contingency of where we are on how we choose to read representations of disability strengthens debates about how we want to go on.