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SABridges Dissertation January 2016.pdf (1.61 MB)

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Disability in the Mountains: Culture, Environment, and Experiences of Disability in Ladakh, India

Bridges, Sarah Ann
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1442843791

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Anthropology.
The purpose of this ethnographic study of disability in Ladakh, India is to understand disability as a subjective experience influenced by culture and the physical environment. Disability research demonstrates many of the social and physical challenges faced by those with disability and their families. However, these experiential domains are too often treated in isolation and do little to represent the lived reality of people with disability and those close to them. Additionally, research shows attitudes toward disability are often rooted in religion and local models of health, yet does not take the next step relating how such factors shape experience. While it is widely recognized that disability experiences are not homogenous, little attention is paid to intra-cultural variations that result from diverse local attitudes. By exploring experiences of disability in the context of two religions, Buddhism and Islam, this study contributes to debates within disability studies and provides a better understanding of disability in the context of culture. The study objectives were: (1) to ascertain local definitions and attitudes toward disability in Ladakh; (2) to identify challenges the physical environment of Ladakh poses to people with disabilities; and (3) to determine the influence of religion on the management and experience of disability. Research included three overlapping study components – a village study; a study at a disability NGO; and a broader community component – designed to gain understanding of experiences through the viewpoints of disabled individuals, family members, community members, and professionals. This study concluded that in Ladakh disability is defined and identified through a combination of observable traits and causes, often characterized by religious explanations and influenced by age. Religion shapes the social management of disability, influencing attitudes about disability and the life chances of people with disabilities, and how people experiencing disability seek care from religious and health professionals. Limitations posed by the physical environment shape experience, and impact availability and accessibility of services. There is a dissonance between experiences of disability and expressed needs which leads to disconnects between traditional values and experience as people with disabilities approach their own futures in the context of social change in Ladakh.
Charlotte Ikels (Committee Chair)
Janet McGrath (Committee Member)
Melvyn Goldstein (Committee Member)
Spilsbury James (Committee Member)
274 p.
Cultural Anthropology
disability; Buddhism; Islam; South Asia; Ladakh; Himalayas; religion; health care

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bridges, S. A. (2016). Disability in the Mountains: Culture, Environment, and Experiences of Disability in Ladakh, India [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1442843791

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bridges, Sarah. Disability in the Mountains: Culture, Environment, and Experiences of Disability in Ladakh, India. 2016. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1442843791.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bridges, Sarah. "Disability in the Mountains: Culture, Environment, and Experiences of Disability in Ladakh, India." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1442843791

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1442843791
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This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.