Men on the margin: A Bourdieusian examination of living into adulthood with muscular dystrophy

Men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are part of a growing population of community-dwelling persons dependent on life support technologies. This Canadian study drew from Bourdieu's critical social theory to explore the identities and social positionings of 10 men with DMD in relation to dominant discourses of disability, masculinity and technology. Semi-structured interviews with participants and participant-generated video diaries revealed that these men were materially, socially and symbolically marginalized through inaccessible built environments, social arrangements that limited their engagement in community life, and the multiple ways that their bodies were negatively marked across social space. Furthermore their marginalization had been embodied through processes of socialization and internalization of subordinate social positionings. While the men created positive personal spaces for recognition and success, their achievements were severely circumscribed by significant social inequities.