Over the years, impairment has been discussed in bioarchaeology, with
some scholars providing carefully contextualized explanations for their
causes and consequences. Such investigations typically take a case study
approach and focus on the functional aspects of impairments. However,
these interpretations are disconnected from disability theory discourse.
Other social sciences and the humanities have far surpassed most of
anthropology (with the exception of medical anthropology) in their
integration of social theories of disability.
This volume has three goals: The first goal of this edited volume is to
present theoretical and methodological discussions on impairment and
disability. The second goal of this volume is to emphasize the necessity
of interdisciplinarity in discussions of impairment and disability
within bioarchaeology. The third goal of the volume is to present
various methodological approaches to quantifying impairment in
skeletonized and mummified remains.
This volume serves to engage scholars from many disciplines in our
exploration of disability in the past, with particular emphasis on the
bioarchaeological context.