Disability and Popular Common Sense in India: Noun versus Adjective |
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| Authors: | Mohd Shahid Md Shahid Raza Md Aftab Alam |
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| Institution: | Department of Social Work, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India |
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| Abstract: | Reflecting through the Indian experiences, a brief attempt is made to explore how disability as a noun takes shape in popular common sense “call names” (adjectives) and how does the popular common sense legitimise and normalise the oppressive language and the oppressed reality of the persons with disabilities? In the Indian context, the contempt for persons with disabilities is writ large in the language used to address them. However, to be conscious of this contempt, one needs to be conscious of the hegemonic nature of the popular common sense which normalises an oppressive reality as a natural social reality. The discussion on disability and popular common sense in India through the framework of “noun vs. adjective” might be helpful in gauging the challenges to the disability rights movement and the socio-cultural specificities to be reckon with for any meaningful intervention in the field of disability. |
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| Keywords: | common sense disability India language noun oppression persons with disabilities |
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