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REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT
This important new collection of essays explores what disability meant to the people living in the Nile Valley thousands of years ago, and the lived experience and reception of disability within the field of Egyptology over the past two centuries. By telling the story of ancient Egypt and Egyptology through the lens of disability, the authors aim to challenge and reshape traditional narratives, and encourage readers to consider thoughtfully how these narratives are shared today. They also set the standard for accepted language within this field of study, which is explored in greater detail by Hannah Vogel’s essay ‘Disability studies: an introduction for Egyptology’. It is this approach that makes the book stand out as a vital guide for all those interested in, and working within, Egyptology today.
The editors encourage readers to look to the past for guidance about what an inclusive future could look like. The range of themes addressed across 21 essays explore disability and neurodiversity through the past in the broadest sense, drawing on a wide range of source materials, including human remains, pictorial and textual data, and archaeological and sculptural evidence. The inclusion of papers exploring practical guidance for disability inclusivity in museum and educational settings, such as Karen L Kobylarz’s ‘Considerations for planning a classroom field trip’, are especially welcome. A number of the topics discussed by the authors have been subject to intense debate over several decades, and it is refreshing to see them presented in a new light here. In particular, issues surrounding the interpretation of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun’s perceived disabilities and illnesses highlight the ‘ideological tug-of-war’ that has taken place over many years, as well as the perpetuation of racist and ableist tropes that are still used by some to describe these pharaohs today. Hana Navrátilová’s essay on the individual experience of Egyptologist Jaroslav Cerný holds particular contemporary relevance, discussing little-known aspects of his mental ill health, which in many ways are still prevalent in academia today.
Illustrated with a series of grey-scale and line drawings, and accompanied by a useful index and comprehensive chapter bibliographies throughout, this important volume will form an essential resource for all those who wish to extend their understanding of the history of disabled people in ancient Egypt, Egyptology, and beyond.
Disability in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology: All Our Yesterdays
ed. Alexandra F Morris and Hannah Vogel
Routledge, 2024
ISBN 978-103257648-0
Hardback, £135; e-book £42.99
