Interrogating Disability in India; Theory and Practice

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.

Nandini Ghosh is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Presidency College Kolkata, a Master’s degree from the University of Calcutta, and a PhD from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her areas of interest are qualitative research methodology, sociology of gender, marginalization and social exclusion and social movements. She has co-edited a book titled Pratyaha Everyday Lifeworlds: Dilemmas, Contestations and Negotiations (Primus 2015). Her other publications include ‘Bhalo Meye: Cultural Construction of Gender and Disability in Bengal’, in Renu Adlakha (ed.), Disability Studies in India: Global Discourses, Local Realities (Routledge India, 2013) and ‘Sites of oppression: Dominant ideologies and women with disabilities in India’, in Tom Shakespeare (ed.), The Disability Research Reader: New Voices (Routledge UK, 2015).