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For much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest, valuable only to their families, and sometimes even dismissed as barely human. Just a hundred years ago, they were regarded as a threat to the social order, to be settled as far away as possible, prevented from reproducing and, in some places, done away with altogether. And if recent years have seen improvements, they''re still treated as outsiders, fundamentally different, deeply odd. The Golden Smile is a powerful examination of the public''s changing attitudes and the way that this has affected people''s lives. From the Graeco-Roman and medieval worlds to the mass institutionalisation of the 19th century, eugenics in the 20th century, and the contradictions and challenges of today, Stephen Unwin illuminates how the concept of learning disabilities is a slippery one and how shifting categories have contributed to the ''othering'' that has caused so much pain. A deeply personal, but also pragmatic, account told through the eyes of a father with a son who has severe learning disabilities. This vital history suggests what a better future might look like for learning-disabled people and their families, and also a fresh understanding of who we are as human beings and what it is we should care about.
About the author
Stephen Unwin is one of Britain's leading theatre and opera directors. He founded English Touring Theatre in 1993 and opened the Rose Theatre Kingston in 2008, which he ran until 2014. He is the author of ten books, including guides to Shakespeare, Brecht, Ibsen and twentieth-century drama for Faber, Nick Hern Books and Bloomsbury. In 2022, Reaktion Books published Poor Naked Wretches, an original and much praised study of Shakespeare's working people.
Stephen's second son Joey has severe learning disabilities and Stephen is a campaigner for the rights and opportunities of people like him. His stage plays include All Our Children (London, 2017; New York 2019) and Laughing Boy (London, 2024), both of which concern the historic abuse of disabled children and young people. He writes a regular column for Byline Times, mostly on disability, as well as a popular blog on his website.
www.stephenunwin.uk
