New Books Network J. Logan Smilges, "Crip Negativity" (U of Minnesota Press, 2023)
Jan 9, 2026
In this engaging discussion, J. Logan Smilges, a queer, trans, disabled scholar, critiques the limitations of disability politics since the ADA. They introduce the concept of 'crip negativity,' exploring how negative feelings can spark community care and a demand for more transformative access. Smilges argues for a reevaluation of reasonable accommodations and introduces 'access thievery' to address systemic barriers. Through their interdisciplinary approach, they connect disability studies to broader social movements, emphasizing the importance of shared struggles and vulnerability.
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Origin Story In Therapy And Pandemic
- J. Logan Smilges began developing Crip Negativity while in graduate school during therapy where they encountered a reservoir of bad feelings tied to ableism.
- The pandemic deepened those feelings and created the time and urgency to write the book so others could feel with them.
Bad Feelings Felt 'Cripply'
- Crip negativity names bad feelings people feel while surviving an ableist world and how those feelings are pathologized by psychiatry.
- Smilges separates 'crip' from 'disability' to show ableism exceeds the disability category and intersects with race, class, gender, and citizenship.
Negativity Must Account For Unequal Risk
- Smilges draws on queer negativity, Black studies, and mad studies to complicate the antisocial thesis and account for varying risks of negativity.
- They argue negativity must consider differential consequences and make space for refusal that can be damaging or fatal for some people.
