Murphyʹs contributions to disability studies: An inquiry into ourselves

Robert Murphyʹs career, culminating in the study of disability, gives evidence of deep commitment to understanding the human condition in adversity. His life-long interest in the psychological, sociological and cultural significance of behavior; his work on alienation, developed through fieldwork in small scale societies in South America and Africa; his fascination with the estrangement that arises from the conflict between our need to integrate and to be autonomous; and his own experience of a progressive debilitating disease provided him with rich insights for his interpretation of disability. This paper examines Murphyʹs contributions to our understanding of the meanings and implications of disability, for those who personally experience it, and for the ‘others’ in their lives.