This book discusses the multifaceted concept of disability in the context of India. Through analyses of theoretical propositions of disability in South Asia and empirical explorations of the lives of persons with disabilities in India, this book not only brings to the forefront a hitherto unexplored realm in academic discourse, but also bridges the gap between theory and lived reality, and between policy and practice. Thus, it is an important addition to the field of development studies in South Asia. The papers herein represent multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives from architects, lawyers, sociologists, political scientists, historians, economists and linguists to social work practitioners from the grassroots level. This range of insights from different disciplines allows for the exploration of a wide range of issues around disability and the lives of disabled people, moving from theoretical assumptions to exploring structural and infrastructural barriers, to problematizing different aspects of the lives of disabled people, and from objective realms to more subjective domains. Along with students and researchers of disability studies, this book is of interest to a diverse readership encompassing the social sciences, mental health, and development studies.

This book enhances our understanding as to how diversity and equality are managed in different national contexts. Focusing on workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion, this book brings together a unique blend of scholarly research and professional practice, evidenced through an array of individuals both outside and inside organizations.

Discourses on Disability bridges academic and personal voices from India to address the diverse and fluid conversations on disability. It seeks to critically engage with the concept of being dis/abled, attempting to deconstruct ableism while advocating for inclusive politics. Narratives from people with bipolar disorder, autism, and locomotor disabilities serve to examine how it feels to exist in a world conditioned by deep-seated cultural taboos about disability. The chapters in this book show how India still has a systemic silence about people with disabilities.

WhatsApp is used by over half a billion people in India today in all fields – in business, corporate and informal sectors, in government, for education and among friends, families and acquaintances. This book critically explores the social messaging app’s rapid expansion in India and its growing influence and looks at whether, as a form of horizontal communication, it poses a challenge to more traditional structures of communication. The book examines WhatsApp’s spread in the personal and professional lives of Indians and the myriad ways in which people in India are using the app in social and business interactions, including among people living with disabilities. Using case studies, interviews, surveys and in-depth research, it analyses key aspects of WhatsApp’s massive popularity and its impact on how people communicate. It also explores its impact on the psycho-social dynamics in India, including the dissemination of fake news and politically motivated content, and the consequent need for media regulation in the country. One of the first books to analyse the pervasiveness of WhatsApp and social media apps in different areas of Indian society, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of media studies, communication studies, digital media, cultural studies, cyberculture studies, sociology and social policy and media law.

Highlighting the close relationship between foreign relations law and international law, this impressive book places parliament and domestic courtsÕ engagement with treaties at the heart of its inquiry. It presents a timely assessment of the impact that different rules of constitutional law have on parliamentary and judicial approaches to treaties in four different states (Germany, India, South Africa and the US), thereby incorporating valuable comparative dimensions.

This book explores the intersectional aspects of caste and gender in India that contribute to the multiple marginalities and oppressions of lower castes, with particular reference to Dalits, Muslims and women. It moves beyond the conventional accounts of experiences of women in unequal social and political relationships to examine how caste as a system and ideology shapes hegemonic masculinity and feminization of work, and thus contributes to the violence against women. The volume looks at their everyday lived realities within and across diverse social and political contexts — families, education systems, labour, communities, political parties, power, social organisations, the politics of representation and the writing of the subaltern women. With a range of empirical work, it brings forth the complexities of identity politics and further analyses its limits in regional and historical frameworks. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and specialists in caste and gender studies, exclusion and discrimination studies, sociology and social anthropology, history and political science. It will also be useful to Dalit writers and people working in the development sector in India.

This book explores the gendered experience of disability. It investigates how women with disabilities fare in society focusing on the experiences of women and their interactions with family, society and medical and legal institutions. Women with disabilities face unprecedented levels of violence, oppression and marginalisation in their daily lives as well as a lack of visibility, proper care and opportunities for socio-economic development. This book examines the reasons and consequences of the stigmatisation of disabilities and neurodivergence, denial of proper care, and various forms of exclusion and violence women with disabilities face both within and outside of their homes. It brings together the perspectives of academicians and activists that try and understand the various challenges faced by women with disabilities and highlights the fight for their right to autonomy, respect, equality, and justice. Filling the gap in the existing feminist research, this revised edition seeks to influence the way in which society treats women with disabilities and will be of interest to scholars and researchers in the field of women’s rights, disability rights, rehabilitation, social policy, and the body.

This book acquaints the reader to the often invisible-ized practices and policies under the rhetoric of ‘inclusion’, through theoretical and empirical analysis. It emphasizes on the complexities of education policies in a multicultural state by identifying the challenges to the idea of ‘inclusion’ illuminated through judicial interventions, policy-frameworks and everyday experiences of individuals. Higher education is imperative to empowerment in socially stratified societies marred with deep inequalities like India and many other multicultural countries. Disputes over inclusion remains a critical feature in Indian higher education sector, as it is viewed as facilitating access to economic opportunities and providing vertical mobility for individuals belonging to marginalized communities. Higher education empowers, and expands individual horizons of thought and ideas of freedom, dignity, equality, enabling individuals to participate actively in the political-sociological discourses in democratic polity. Therefore, policy makers, political theorists and educationists have been examining the question of inclusion and education as public-good. Contemporary India has witnessed an unprecedented attack on academic freedom, free exchange of ideas and expressions, challenging the very idea of inclusion and inclusiveness.

This edited volume brings together contributions on disability studies organized around two themes: literary and sociological aspects. The contributors include academics, disability activists, and researchers from within and outside the Indian periphery. While the book strengthens the disability discourse and contributes to building academic scholarship on this subject, it also promotes disability activism by giving space to both direct practitioners and persons with disabilities. The chapters discuss various analytical and literary aspects of the marginalization experienced by the disabled community and bring forth new and elaborate perspectives. It draws connections across multiple identities and includes personal narratives across nations, cultures and societies. It is an excellent research resource on disability studies in India for scholars and students in the area of humanities, education, law, sociology and social work, while at the same time also addressing the global context.

This book presents various paradigms and debates on the diverse issues concerning disability in India from a sociological perspective. It studies disability in the context of its relationship with concepts such as culture/religion, media, literature, and gender to address the inherent failures in challenging prevalent stereotypical and oppressive ideologies. It traces the theological history of disability and studies the present-day universalized social notions of disablement. The volume challenges the predominant perception of disability being only a medical or biological concern and provides deeper insight into the impact of representation through an analysis of the discourse and criteria for ‘normalcy’ in films from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It analyzes the formation of perspectives through a study of representation of disability in print media, especially children’s literature, comics, and graphic novels. The author also discusses the policies and provisions available in India for students with disabilities, especially women who have to also contend with gender inequality and gender-based discrimination. The book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of disability studies, educational psychology, special education, sociology, gender studies, politics of education, and media ecology. It will also be useful for educationalists, NGOs, special educators, disability specialists, media and communication professionals, and counsellors.