Using governmentality and performativity theory to understand the role of social attitudes in young people with visual impairment access to sexual and reproductive health services
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Date
Authors
Ubisi, Lindokuhle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute
Abstract
This exploratory study investigates how governmentality enforced by societal attitudes influences
performativity of young people with visual impairment (PVI) to/not access sexual and reproductive health
services (SRH). To explore this phenomenon, existing data was utilised from a focus group around the
sexuality of young PVI with three experts in the field of visual impairment as a starting point. A thematic
analysis revealed various challenges that might be encountered by young PVI as they access SRH, e.g.
stigma. A Foucauldian discourse analysis builds on these challenges by suggesting that governmentality
construed by institutional, macro-level structures (e.g. social attitudes) should not be taken as the only
barriers to/not accessing SRH, but young PVI might also employ individual, micro-level decision-making
processes (e.g. socially-negotiated rationalities) to/not access SRH. The final theorisation here remains
unsettled; actual voices of young PVI need to be located in this ongoing conversation.
Description
Keywords
Access, Governmentality, Performativity, Social attitudes, People with visual impairment (PVI), Sexual and reproductive health (SRH)
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Ubisi, L. 2020, 'Using governmentality and performativity theory to understand the role of social attitudes in young people with visual impairment access to sexual and reproductive health services', Gender and Behaviour, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 15399-15408.