‘Nothing about us without us’: Fat people speak
Ratnadevi Manokaran, Cat Pausé, Mäks Roßmöller, Tara Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir
Abstract
The production of knowledge within the social sciences has contributed both to the oppression and liberation of fat people. In this piece, four fat activists review the role that social science could play in the science of fatness, highlighting key considerations for scholars to keep at the front of their mind if they want to be allies to fat people in this scholarship. We propose a range of qualitative research questions that are ripe for scientific exploration. And we argue that a fat ethic is imperative to any scholar interested in engaging with the study of fatness, the fat body, and the fat experience. We conclude with suggestions for allied scholars who are committed to ethical practice in the study of fatness, and a recognition of the value that a Fat Studies framework may add in this scholarship.