The pleasure and pain of passing as (dis)abled: Rudi Dutschke’s exile in the UK (1968-1971) and the Ableism of the West German Student Movement

This article closes an important gap in the existing body of research on the prominent student activist Rudi Dutschke by analysing previously unconsidered archival sources regarding his exile in the UK. An attempt on his life in 1968 had left Dutschke with aphasia, epileptic fits, and other permanent health problems. This article uses ‘passing’ as a theoretical tool to analyse how Dutschke tried to avoid the stigma and narcissistic pity associated with disability. By passing as abled in the court room, he proved to himself and the world that he was both an ambitious academic and a serious political opponent.