Social citizenship and collective action : the case of the Portuguese Disabled People's Movement

Theoretically anchored in New Social Movement theory, citizenship studies and a social model perspective, this research sought to answer the question: "How and in what ways has the Portuguese Disabled People's Movement contributed to the struggle for social citizenship rights in Portugal since 1974?". Such an endeavour was achieved through a detailed exploration of a case study combined with comparisons with the development of disability policies and politics in the UK post-1945 and the emergence of contemporary welfare. Chapter 1 provides the context of and an overview of the study. Chapter 2 explores and engages with bodies of literature which constitute the theoretical anchorage of this thesis. Chapter 3 gives an account of the research design, research questions, data sources, data collection strategies and sampling, providing a self-reflexive account of ethical and political concerns during this research. Chapter 4 offers an historical overview of disability policies and politics in Portugal and in the UK, highlighting factors that enabled the emergence of the Disabled People's Movements in both countries. Chapter 5 reviews contemporary disability policies and politics in Portugal, comparing and contrasting them with the UK's. Four main areas are discussed: Benefits and social rights, Education, Work and employment, and Accessibility. Chapter 6 focuses on the development of the Disabled People's Movement in Portugal. The last two chapters, 7 and 8, consist of a critical evaluation of disability policies and politics, with reference to international influences, as well as assessing the movement's impact and drawing out the theoretical implications of my findings. Overall, this thesis investigates the role of social citizenship as a point for resistance to destructive capitalism by the Portuguese Disabled People's Movement.