Nonperson and nonhome: Territorial Seclusion of Appearance-Impaired Children

This ethnography draws on patterns of parental behavior in 200 Israeli homes of appearance-impaired children. Through the presentation of six characterizing case studies, which bring together a panorama of sociocultural categories, the author argues that parents define their appearance-impaired children as “nonpersons.” This extreme stigma results in allocating the children a distinct “nonhome” territory: neglected areas considered to be unfit for the use of other family members. Stigmatization is reversible once impaired appearance is “corrected.” In the analysis, the article draws on the theoretical constructs of Foucault's “body politic” to structurally define the relation between cognitive stigmatization and territorial seclusion.