Social Ideologies Embedded in Everyday Life: A Narrative Analysis about Disability, Identities, and Occupation

Abstract

Aim & Background: The aim of this study is to explore the negotiation and expression of identities through everyday occupations, juxtaposed against prevalent social ideologies of disability. The problem addressed in this article concerns the absence of critical reflection surrounding the importance of ideological tensions inherent in action. Method: An ethnographic and narrative approach was used to gather and analyze data consisting of 14 interviews and extensive observations collected on a monthly basis over 18-months. Findings & Conclusion: In keeping with narrative analyses, the findings are presented as stories where theory and data are iteratively integrated. Three discourses that informed the negotiation of Sam's identities are presented along with supporting vignettes; they include disability, living low, and semper fi. Using the concept of authorship (Bakhtin) and notion of the dialogic self (Holland et al.) as frameworks, we analyze how Sam's identities are expressed and contested within the flow of his daily occupations. Understanding the context and expression of social ideologies as intricately perpetuated in human action and occupation, is critical to education and policy enabling all people full citizenship and social participation.