Disability and Decolonial Thought in Latin America

This book offers a pioneering exploration of disability through Indigenous epistemologies and decolonial theory in Latin America. It challenges dominant Western biomedical and rights-based models by foregrounding relational ontologies, community-based care, and ancestral knowledge systems. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from anthropology, disability studies, Latin American studies, and political theory, the volume critically examines how colonial legacies shape structural exclusion and cultural representations of disability.

Through ethnographic accounts, oral histories, and grassroots initiatives, the book highlights the lived experiences and resistance strategies of disabled Indigenous individuals and communities. It explores how traditional healing practices, land-based spirituality, and collective activism reframe disability as a site of resilience and political agency. Each chapter offers a stand-alone contribution to understanding disability justice from the Global South, emphasizing intersectionality and Indigenous self-determination.

This timely volume fills a significant gap in the literature by offering a culturally grounded, justice-oriented alternative to dominant disability discourses. It will appeal to scholars, practitioners, and students in disability studies, decolonial theory, public health, and social justice, as well as to activists and policymakers seeking inclusive frameworks rooted in local knowledge and lived realities.

Explores disability through Indigenous and decolonial lenses in Latin American contexts Challenges Western models by centering relational, community-based understandings of care Bridges anthropology, disability studies, and political theory to reframe inclusion and justice

Autorentext

Sheena Mariam Thomas is working in a research associate position under Dr. Ramakrishnan's supervision at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, part of the Chettinad Academy of Research and Education. Dr. Ramakrishnan V serves as an Associate Professor of Genetics at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, part of the Chettinad Academy of Research and Education in Kelambakkam. His expertise offers vital insights into genetic polymorphisms associated with various metabolic disorders, which are crucial for both clinical practice and public health. He is also actively involved in chromosomal analysis for numerous genetic disorders identified in the pediatric cases. His research focuses on finding chromosomal abnormalities and structural changes that cause developmental issues and congenital diseases in children.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Colonial Medicine and the Making of the Disabled Body.- Chapter 2: Disability, Race, and Class: Intersections of Oppression in Latin America.- Chapter 3: Embodiment, Relationality, and Difference in Indigenous Worldviews.- Chapter 4: Healing, Land, and Spirituality: Decolonizing Disability through Traditional Practices.- Chapter 5: Indigenous and Decolonial Disability Activisms.- Chapter 6: Toward a Decolonial Politics of Disability Justice in Latin America.- Chapter 7: Rethinking Inclusion, Rights, and Policy from the Grassroots.