“Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments
This essay analyzes the stakes involved when a movement claims to be “cross-disability” in India. Activists, disabled peoples’ organizations, and non-governmental organizations devoted to disability often claim that their work and focus is “cross-disability” and that all categories of disability are...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud
2018-04-01
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| Series: | South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4516 |
| _version_ | 1797316305839194112 |
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| author | Michele Friedner Nandini Ghosh Deepa Palaniappan |
| author_facet | Michele Friedner Nandini Ghosh Deepa Palaniappan |
| author_sort | Michele Friedner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This essay analyzes the stakes involved when a movement claims to be “cross-disability” in India. Activists, disabled peoples’ organizations, and non-governmental organizations devoted to disability often claim that their work and focus is “cross-disability” and that all categories of disability are included within their purview. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with various disability organizations and disabled people in India between 2008–2017, we argue that the “cross-disability” category obscures tensions that exist between different categories of disability, while benefiting the state and civil society. Moreover, performing representation results in fragmentation as different groups lobby for their own interests. We analyze the social and political work that the categories “cross-disability” and “disability” do in everyday worlds in India and analyze new forms of disability inclusions and exclusions that have emerged in the aftermath of a 2016 disability law. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:16:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-204b5abb64c2486387b374d538f06a35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1960-6060 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T03:16:21Z |
| publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
| publisher | Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-204b5abb64c2486387b374d538f06a352024-02-12T15:38:53ZengCentre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du SudSouth Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal1960-60602018-04-0110.4000/samaj.4516“Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating ImpairmentsMichele FriednerNandini GhoshDeepa PalaniappanThis essay analyzes the stakes involved when a movement claims to be “cross-disability” in India. Activists, disabled peoples’ organizations, and non-governmental organizations devoted to disability often claim that their work and focus is “cross-disability” and that all categories of disability are included within their purview. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with various disability organizations and disabled people in India between 2008–2017, we argue that the “cross-disability” category obscures tensions that exist between different categories of disability, while benefiting the state and civil society. Moreover, performing representation results in fragmentation as different groups lobby for their own interests. We analyze the social and political work that the categories “cross-disability” and “disability” do in everyday worlds in India and analyze new forms of disability inclusions and exclusions that have emerged in the aftermath of a 2016 disability law.https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4516reservationssocial movementsdevelopmentdisabilityimpairmentcategories |
| spellingShingle | Michele Friedner Nandini Ghosh Deepa Palaniappan “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal reservations social movements development disability impairment categories |
| title | “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments |
| title_full | “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments |
| title_fullStr | “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments |
| title_short | “Cross-Disability” in India?: On the limits of Disability as a Category and the Work of Negotiating Impairments |
| title_sort | cross disability in india on the limits of disability as a category and the work of negotiating impairments |
| topic | reservations social movements development disability impairment categories |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/4516 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michelefriedner crossdisabilityinindiaonthelimitsofdisabilityasacategoryandtheworkofnegotiatingimpairments AT nandinighosh crossdisabilityinindiaonthelimitsofdisabilityasacategoryandtheworkofnegotiatingimpairments AT deepapalaniappan crossdisabilityinindiaonthelimitsofdisabilityasacategoryandtheworkofnegotiatingimpairments |