The Counterconforming Body

Scott D. Landes is Professor of Sociology and faculty associate in the Aging Studies Institute at Syracuse University.

"The Counterconforming Body disentangles disability from pathology, while centering the active disabled body and its embodiment of resistance. In doing so, Scott D. Landes offers a provocative and important contribution to both theory and methods in the field of disability studies. Deeply nuanced in its arguments, yet accessible enough for undergraduate students." - Allison Carey, author of Disability and the Sociological Imagination "This innovative and provocative book challenges dominant narratives and redefines how we understand disability, identity, embodiment, and belonging. By exploring several complex dimensions of counterconforming, Landes pushes against entrenched ableist normative standards, offering a bold reimagining grounded in both scholarship and lived experience. This is a bold disruption to the field that interrogates tensions between disabled and nondisabled experiences to illustrate examples of counterconforming that occur regularly. This is essential reading for those ready to question assumptions, expand their thinking, and engage with work that disrupts the norm." - Anjali Forber-Pratt, Director of Research, American Association on Health & Disability "Allowing the body to take an active role and placing it at the center of analysis, while untangling health problems and functional limitations from disability, Landes revolutionizes how we think about disability, both theoretically and, perhaps even more importantly, in practice. Taking on the challenge of defining and measuring disability for the purpose of producing just and reliable data that should shape policy and law, this book offers a breath of fresh air for both empirical researchers and disability theorists. Its ability to unite these audiences and speak to both in a coherent way that respects both traditions is what makes it one of the most important contributions to disability studies in recent years." - Doron Dorfman, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law "The Counterconforming Body is a powerful and timely text that challenges ableist frameworks and reshapes how disabled people are categorized and counted." - Bonnielin Swenor, Director, Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center