Crip Embodiment as Resistance to the Neoliberal Academy

Disability disrupts ableist, neoliberal fantasies and demands for unlimited health and capacity. When the body can no longer will itself to neoliberal standards, people and environments must shift to make space for the crip, as the nature of their embodiment ‘leaks’ and spills out in the neoliberal workplace. Informed by a sociological understanding of the management and performance of bodies, this article utilises personal reflection on teaching and working in the academy to present a crip pedagogical manifesto in three parts: how disability embodiments and conceptions disrupt ableist ideals; how crip care can be a cannon for more intersectional forms of care; and the leaks of the author's own crip embodiment in the academy. Here, disability embodiment is presented as a generative, active site that strengthens ties to self and community care: a site of embodied and political resistance to the neoliberal academy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Sociology
Published
2026-07-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833261470152
Primary Topic
Disability Rights and Representation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Crip Embodiment as Resistance to the Neoliberal Academy

Ebony Muller
Journal of Sociology
Disability Rights and Representation
article

Crip Embodiment as Resistance to the Neoliberal Academy

Ebony Muller
article en

Abstract

Disability disrupts ableist, neoliberal fantasies and demands for unlimited health and capacity. When the body can no longer will itself to neoliberal standards, people and environments must shift to make space for the crip, as the nature of their embodiment ‘leaks’ and spills out in the neoliberal workplace. Informed by a sociological understanding of the management and performance of bodies, this article utilises personal reflection on teaching and working in the academy to present a crip pedagogical manifesto in three parts: how disability embodiments and conceptions disrupt ableist ideals; how crip care can be a cannon for more intersectional forms of care; and the leaks of the author's own crip embodiment in the academy. Here, disability embodiment is presented as a generative, active site that strengthens ties to self and community care: a site of embodied and political resistance to the neoliberal academy.

Journal of Sociology
The University of Melbourne (AU)
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Disability Rights and Representation
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