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Reflections on Gender and Disability: Women and Girls with Autism

Reflections on Gender and Disability: Women and Girls with Autism

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Reflections on Gender and Disability: Women and Girls with Autism
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<strong>Centre for the Study of Social Systems School of Social Sciences</strong> CSSS Colloquium <strong>Shubhangi Vaidya</strong> (Associate Professor, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi) Will be presenting a paper on <strong>Reflections on Gender and Disability: Women and Girls with Autism</strong> Date : <strong>October 13th, 2016</strong> <strong>Abstract: </strong>This paper attempts to highlight the interplay of gender, embodiment and social structure through the lens of a feminist disability studies. Specifically, it refers to women and girls with autism. While disability studies have sought to complicate understandings of disability as a social and political category rather than simply a medical condition, feminist scholarship has also drawn attention to the critical role of gender and the body in shaping the experience of disability. Autism has been viewed through a predominantly medical lens over the years; however, the 'neurodiversity' perspective put forward by self-advocates has sought to reposition it as a valid way of being in the world, rather than as a disorder or medical condition. However, in India, where it is still considered a relatively marginal category, the issues and challenges of persons with autism have received scant attention. This paper attempts to engage with the experiences of girls and women with autism, against the backdrop of a patriarchal social structure. It engages with the issues of gender socialization, gender violence, sexuality, reproductive rights and long-term care. The paper highlights the need for sociologically informed research into the gendered dimensions of autism and other developmental conditions in order to better understand the lived experience of disability and difference from a section of society that is underrepresented in the discourse. <strong>Bio: </strong>Shubhangi Vaidya teaches in the School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. She completed her PhD from Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her doctoral research was an ethnographic study of families of children with autism. Her current research interests include disability, gender and labour studies.  

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.