Book Reviews 73

Orford’s book will deservedly be the standard text on community psychology for this decade. Everyone with a more than passing interest in the application of psychological theory, know- ledge and practice to social issues will find they refer to it again and again.

RAYMOND~OCHRANE School of Psychology

University of Birmingham

Brown, H. and Smith, H. (Eds.) Normalisation: A Reader for the Nineties, Tavistock/Routledge: 1992. Pp. xxii+189. E11.99 paper. ISBNO-415-06119-9.

This really is an interesting and intellectually challenging collection of essays that deserve to reach as wide an audience as possible. It offers a series of well argued and committed reviews of the history, strengths and weaknesses of normalisation within the context of some current issues confronting people with disabilities and their carers. The book covers quite a spread of issues ranging from the history of the origins of normalisation, training in PASS, the integration of normalisation and other theories of human behaviour and consciousness; to dealing with influences of gender and race on peoples’ lives and the relationship of normalisa- tion with other ideologies of social welfare. This is a potentially overwhelming diet of ideas, but with enough common ground across contributions, the reader should not be put off. Put briefly, a major objective of the text is to address the question of whether normalisation, as it is widely interpreted within Britain, is capable of providing an explanatory base to explore and respond to concerns of empowerment, gender and ethnicity or has normalisation itself now become part of the wider problem to be solved?

There are a number of important lessons to take away from this book and it should succeed in offering some insights for a range of readers. Two key issues addressed which have been seldom discussed and elaborated upon within normalisation, concern notions of the self identity of people with learning difficulties and how it is controlled, and of the reference group employed within normalisation to anchor its value base. It is made clear that the use of this ‘generalised other’ as the basis for comparison and reference can lead to a naive and simplistic frame to examine the lifestyles of people with learning difficulties. Seldom are the characteristics and nature of this ‘other’ exposed and questions concerning whether this ‘other’ is really male, white and capable of using symbolic force to maintain a position of power are most often left unasked. What constitutes ‘valued’ is, therefore, taken as unproblematic and divorced from the social and cultural relationships that exist within society. Many areas in the book call for a more far-reaching theoretical framework in which service cultures and the lifestyles of people with learning difficulties can be examined in relation to widespread social inequalities.

Another important area deals with the extent to which people with learning difficulties are encouraged to develop a shared notion of their own oppression as a basis for self advocacy and for their participation in efforts to confront and challenge those inequalities. The emphasis given and widespread commitment to integration and the dispersal of people into community settings while worthwhile may have unintended consequences in providing people with little opportunity to understand the social pressures that lead to their marginal life situations. If opportunities to develop shared ideas of and actions towards their position are limited, the participation of people with learning difficulties in gaining some control of their own lives will fail to extent beyond a tokenism that eases individual panic but delivers little. Additio- nally, the possibility of constructing a more positive identity that includes rather than excludes their disability becomes remote. If we are to take seriously concerns of empowerment then, it is argued, people must confront rather than avoid issues where the basis of peoples’ oppression is made explicit. It has always struck me as ironic that there has been considerable attention paid to improving and humanising the way parents, for example, come to terms with their situation, but that people with disabilities are often unsupported to deal with, or may still be unaware of, the social significance of being disabled. This sensitive and well covered contribution leads to questions of who should determine what having a learning disability means and how can people themselves have some influence over its meaning?

The future of normalisation as a means of orgaiiising peoples’ perceptions of lifestyles and their strategies of action is not seen within this book as in doubt. The fact that normalisation is still a potent means of capturing some basic and fundamental inequalities and that many

14 Book Reviews

people with learning difficulties still lead such obviously impoverished lives will mean that normalisation will continue for some time. The text does not draw conclusions concerning the capability of normalisation to resolve new dilemmas, but in line with the spirit of the contributors, draws the reader into the debate and demonstrates the urgency of the tasks ahead. If the text achieves anything it should instil in the reader a sense that there is a need to consider the precise meaning of normalisation against alternative frameworks and that this should be worked through open dialogue and a shared commitment.

Overall, this is a book that should be widely read to enable a movement towards reflection and the opening of new strategies. The individual contributions are variable in quality but each makes interesting reading and none disappoint, and as a collection their relevance becomes magnified. The result is an energetic book designed to maintain the vigorous pursuit of change. It was an enjoyable read and one of the most interesting texts within the field that I have encountered for some time. The strength of the text is based on the fact that the concerns of contributors do not stem from idle or mischievous speculation, but originate from their involvement in human services and their commitment to radical change. From this point of view it would have been revealing and added more weight to the strength of this book if it had included some empirical contributions specifying the ways in which gender and race impinge upon the lives of people, or had presented accounts of the lived experiences of people themselves. These omissions, however, do not detract from the significance of the text and it is to be hoped that ideas generated within it only make these research exercises more likely in the future.

STUART TODD Department of Psychological Medicine,

University of Wales College of Medicine.