Decolonizing Disability: An Intersectional Critique of Western Paradigms in Anita Ghai’s Rethinking Disability in India

Author(s)	Mr. Purna Chandra Haldar
Country	India
Abstract	Anita Ghai’s Rethinking Disability in India (2015) constitutes a pivotal intervention in the global corpus of Disability Studies. By reimagining the discourse through the lenses of postcolonial critique, feminist theory, and intersectional praxis, Ghai systematically dismantles the hegemonic authority of Western models—both medical and social—arguing for a more nuanced, culturally embedded understanding of disability in the Indian context. This article critically explores Ghai’s interrogation of structural and symbolic violence, her incisive engagement with caste and gender, and her critique of dominant state and non-governmental frameworks that perpetuate paternalistic and charity-based models. Through comparative analysis with canonical theorists such as Michael Oliver, Tom Shakespeare, and Shelley Tremain, this paper affirms Ghai’s seminal role in decolonizing Disability Studies and foregrounding the multiplicity of disabled experiences in the Global South.
Keywords	Anita Ghai, Disability Studies, Postcolonial Theory, Feminist Disability Theory, Caste, Gender, Intersectionality, Cultural Stigma, Medical Model, Social Model
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2025
Published On	2025-07-17
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.51293
Short DOI	https://doi.org/g9tz6q

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