From the voice of a ‘Socratic Gadfly’: a call for more academic activism in the researching of disability in postsecondary education

Seale, Jane K (2017). From the voice of a ‘Socratic Gadfly’: a call for more academic activism in the researching of disability in postsecondary education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(1) pp. 153–169.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2016.1254967

Abstract

In this article I use the lens of voices and silences to frame my review of research in the field of disability and postsecondary education. I argue that we need to view research in this field as a necessarily political act that seeks to turn voices of silence into voices of change. Researchers therefore need to re-think their role in order to understand how they can use and direct their political voices. In order to persuade researchers to heed my call for more academic activism I draw on the arguments of Allan (2010) and adopt the role of a ‘socratic gadfly’ to identify six political areas of research where I argue that voices and silences need more critical examination. In discussing these six areas I hope to illuminate the implications for ‘genuinely investigative’ research in the future.