Phenomenology of sociality and relational accounts of personhood: reinstating the moral status of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties

Simmons, B, Read, S and Parfitt, A (2025) 'Phenomenology of sociality and relational accounts of personhood: reinstating the moral status of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties.' In: Dyer, H, Bates, A, Gordon, J and Hinchliffe, G, eds. Society, politics, and education in uncertain times: rethinking citizenship and belonging in international contexts. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 148-161. ISBN 9781032658247

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Abstract

In this chapter we critically analyse concepts of ‘personhood’ as they relate to children with ‘profound and multiple learning difficulties’ (PMLD). We argue that dominant accounts of personhood in Western philosophy are cognitivist-centric and lead to children with PMLD being classed as ‘non-persons’. We counter this perspective by demonstrating how relational concepts of personhood, anchored in phenomenological theory, lead to a more enriched and inclusive definition of personhood that reinstates the moral status of children with PMLD. We suggest that debates in citizenship education can be extended by the relational model we develop in this chapter.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Keywords:	profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), personhood, citizenship, bioethics, phenomenology
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General)
Divisions:	School of Education
Research Centres and Groups:	Centre for Research in Equity, Inclusion and Community (CREIC)
Related URLs:	https://www.routledge.com/Society-Politi...
Date Deposited:	16 Sep 2025 16:55
Last Modified:	16 Sep 2025 17:21
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17253

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