Abstract
In Disability, Discourse and Technology, Al Zidjaly explores agency and inclusion through an ethnographic case study of the interactions between a man with quadriplegia – Yahya – and his caregivers, family, the local Omani government and an online community. Al Zidjaly locates the project at the crossroads of disability studies and discourse studies, arguing for the importance of discourse analytic approaches to examine how discrimination against individuals with disabilities occurs in communication (p. 8). The author’s activist position seeks to illuminate, challenge and change the ways in which exclusion is created discursively, through interactions both at the local level of conversation and at the global level of cultural ideology and government policy. Al Zidjaly’s research adopts a multi-modal approach, examining how a variety of factors – including the computer technology Yahya uses, the artwork that he generates with this technology and his various interactions with his community – all contribute to the co-construction of Yahya’s agentic identity. Ultimately, Al Zidjaly contends, the construction of agentic identity allows Yahya to challenge the social and legal exclusion that he faces in both daily interactions and institutional legislation.
In order to address the multi-modal nature as well as the local and global contexts of Yahya’s communication, Al Zidjaly’s methodological framework draws from mediated discourse theory (Chapter 1) and nexus analysis to address previously under-researched issues in both disability studies and discourse studies. These provide a discourse-oriented approach to understanding how exclusion is created in social actions, broadening the scope of traditional discourse studies to include multi-modal, multi-contextual analyses of communication. Al Zidjaly’s examination of the relationship between disability, identity and discourse in Omani Arab culture also highlights the lack of diversity often seen in these fields. Chapter 2 establishes the context for the study by discussing the views of disability in Omani culture, and provides a critical and reflexive account of her own participation as the researcher and also caregiver and friend of Yahya.
Chapters 3 to 6 each deal with an analytic concept that addresses the ways in which the participant creates agency through discourse and social action. In Chapter 3, Al Zidjaly describes Yahya’s use of technology to create animated music videos, artwork as mediated actions that work to challenge exclusion in Yahya’s personal relationships and in his broader sociocultural context. Chapter 4 analyses Yahya’s hypothetical narratives in a series of conversations between Yahya, the researcher and Yahya’s family members to demonstrate how Yahya uses these narratives to create an agentless future self in order to motivate others to advocate for his rights. Al Zidjaly insists on the importance of incorporating contextual factors – such as the macro-level progress towards obtaining Yahya’s rights and the artwork that he created during this time – in addition to conversational narratives to enable the development of an in-depth understanding of communication and agency (p. 117).
Chapter 5 applies the concept of production format roles to examine the co-construction of a letter to the local mayor regarding Yahya’s request for a hiring permit. Chapter 6, in turn, draws on Bahktinian notions of intertextuality to study Yahya’s online interactions, demonstrating how Yahya creates a religious identity of ‘enlightener’ relative to the other sociopolitical discourses in his online communities. She concludes that these online technologies allow Yahya to create flexible identities beyond those associated with disability.
One consequence of the design of this book is that the interactions between the types of mediated actions Al Zidjaly explores – the artwork, hypothetical narratives, co-construction of texts and online interactions – are not explored in great detail. Further research employing mediated discourse analyses should work to highlight the interconnections between nexus of communication, including various actors, modes and contexts, rather than isolating these factors. Chapter 7 concludes the book by emphasizing the importance of extending the scope of disability studies and discourse analytic studies to include relevant micro- and macro-influences, participants and technologies, which together help shape inclusive and exclusive discourses in the local interactions of individuals with disabilities.
The volume provides a valuable interdisciplinary exploration of the ways in which discourse can be used, specifically by individuals with disabilities, to challenge exclusion and to create inclusion and agency. Al Zidjaly’s approach encompasses multiple facets of interaction, including the role of technology in communication and micro- and macro-level social and political factors, while still maintaining systematic rigor and a focus on discourse in interaction. Thus, her research makes a compelling argument for the importance of considering factors ‘beyond bounded texts’ (p. 187) of conversation in our attempts to understand the relationships between micro- and macro-influences on communication. This work suggests that such an approach can prove effective for exploring the possibility of effecting change at both local and global levels. These qualities make this book a fascinating and useful resource for disability scholars and activists, as well as others interested in understanding and advocating for issues of disability, identity and agency within complex nexus of communication.