افاق للعلوم
Volume 11, Numéro 1, Pages 368-376
2026-01-15
Reassessing Helen Keller’s Reform Writings: Disability And Gender In Progressive Era American Feminism (1900-1960)
Authors : Benzid Selma .
Abstract
Helen Keller is a legendary figure whose lifetime struggle was overcoming being deaf and blind. However, her writings from the beginning of the 20th century unveil a very different and complicated legacy. Though she fundamentally changed the viewpoint of disability as the central issue in labor, gender, and citizenship through her writings, protests, and speeches, Keller was mainly recognized as an activist from 1900 to 1935. This article presents a historical-descriptive account of how her essays and letters moved the topic of disability into the framework of the struggle for women’s civic and social equality. In addition, it examines the subsequent portrayals, particularly the cultural and academic publications from 1940 to 1960, which muted or even transformed the political aspect into a more inspirational narrative. Thus, the historical-descriptive method is used to analyze primary sources, like Keller’s articles and letters, and to follow secondary representations in textbooks, biographies, and cultural portrayals. The findings revealed that though the representations of the mid-century era diminished her to a mere icon of endurance, Keller still considered disability to be a matter of citizenship and gender. Following these shifts in her public life, the article deepens our comprehension of Keller’s place in the American feminist movement during the Progressive Era. It also suggests the importance of viewing her reform writings through the lens of contemporary women’s and disability studies.
Keywords
Disability ; Gender ; Helen Keller ; Progressive Era ; Reform
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