Crip Theory and Survivor Discourse

In her article “Deconstructing and Locating Survivor Discourse: Dynamics of Narrative, Empowerment and Resistance for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse” Nancy Naples briefly mentions a possibility to queer incest narratives (1167).  Queering narratives, such as work by Margaret Randall and Dorothy Allison, “challenges the heteronormativity of incest narratives” (Naples 1167). The idea of queering incest narratives reminds me of crip art. In this post I want to explore the potential of queer survivor narratives and crip art to similarly counter dominant hegemonic narratives.

Naples describes Queer narratives as working to undo the “heterosexism of many popular accounts of incest” (1167). This heterosexism assumes that experiences of childhood sexual assault explain deviant sexualities, specifically lesbianism. Robert McRuer describes crip theory as “a critical cultural practice” centered on generating different versions of bodies, desire, and community that complicate attempts to contain and manage disabled persons (Peers). I believe that crip art involves this aspect of crip theory, which rejects common understandings of the disabled body as weak, less than, and easily fixed.

I believe it is this focus within queer and crip narratives to complicate dominant understandings of childhood sexual assault and disability respectively that makes these narratives so extremely important. Without narratives such as these the naturalness of heterosexuality able-bodiedness, “and the larger naturalization of normalcy,” go unchallenged (Peers).

Later in her paper Naples briefly discusses Incest Survivor Information Exchange which provides a space for incest survivors to publish writing, art, and poems to speak about their sexual assault experiences (1173). Naples critiques this forum for not providing a political analysis (1173). I believe this failure of the forum to not include what Naples calls a “feminist political praxis” (1173) could be corrected if was based on an ideology of crip theory.

Crip art embraces crip theory to interrogates both compulsory able-bodiedness and compulsory heterosexuality. I think that survivor discourses could draw on crip theory to critically think about sexual assault, harm, and sexuality to ensure a “feminist political praxis” (1173). As crip theory attempts to resist dominant understandings of disability, a discourse that draws on this theory, will therefore be based upon complicating dominant hegemonic discourses.

Peers, Danielle. “Crip Excess, Art, and Politics: A Conversation with Robert McRuer.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues. 36.3 (2012): 295-316 Web. 20 Nov. 2015