Resistance: A History of Disability in Britain

Joined by Robin Ince, historian David Turner puts disabled people and their stories back at the heart of British history.

For centuries, the lives and experiences of disabled people have been largely absent from mainstream accounts of British history. Yet this is not a history without evidence - it is a history which is often overlooked.

To mark Disability History Month, historian David Turner sits down with Robin Ince to discuss his ground-breaking new book, Disability: A History of Resistance, which places disabled people and their lives at the centre of the story of Britain from 1500 to the present day.

Drawing on countless forgotten voices and stories, he offers a history of Britain that challenges narratives centred on doctors and philanthropists, revealing a struggle for dignity and recognition. By bringing disabled lives back into the national story, David uncovers a richer and more complete history of Britain.

Join us for an illuminating conversation about the people, stories and experiences that have been missing from our understanding of the past.

Based at Swansea University, he is the first person in the UK to be promoted to a professorship based on their work on disability history, and his research has appeared in publications such as iNews and BBC History Magazine. David also co-devised the BBC Radio 4 series Disability: A New History.

He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Importance of Being Interested, I’m a Joke and So Are You, Bibliomaniac, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity and most recently The Future of Jokes. With Professor Brian Cox, he created and the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage. He has received an Honorary Fellowship of UCL, an honorary doctorate from Royal Holloway College, and is a fellow of the British Science Association.