Reframing disability in development discourse: A cultural critique of CSR narratives in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Disability, often framed through developmental or medical paradigms, is increasingly recognized as a cultural and political construct shaped by societal narratives and institutional discourse. This study offers a cultural critique of how disability and empowerment are represented within corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs initiated by state-owned enterprises in Surakarta, Indonesia. Drawing on a qualitative, interpretive approach, we analyze narratives from 25 informants—including persons with disabilities, CSR officers, community leaders, and local officials—focusing on how CSR initiatives mediate concepts of productivity, agency, and social worth. Rather than evaluating program effectiveness, this study examines the discursive construction of “empowerment” and “inclusion” within CSR frameworks, revealing tensions between neoliberal logics of entrepreneurialism and the lived realities of individuals with disabilities. The analysis highlights how CSR initiatives often reproduce normative able-bodied assumptions, while simultaneously offering spaces for counter-narratives and resistance. This research contributes to critical disability studies and post-development discourse by foregrounding the cultural dimensions of empowerment and challenging technocratic solutions to structural marginalization.