Undoing Whiteness in Disability Studies : The Special Education System and British South Asian Mothers

"I read this in one sitting - a book I want to own not just recommend for my University library. Sana Rizvi does not evade the difficult territory and dominant narratives about race, sex and disability. Instead she problematises issues of patriarchy and ableism, showing how complicated the relationship is between mothers and those structures and contradictory worldviews. Using her intersectional lens to explore the mothering of disabled children from the British South Asian Muslim community, her book challenges myths and misinformation. It is relevant far more widely though, making it valuable reading for anyone interested in inclusion and belonging." --Professor Melanie Nind, University of Southampton, UK "This ground-breaking book attacks the white symbolic order that undergirds educational responses to students with disabilities and special educational needs. Through an engaging writing style, Rizvi offers an intersectional analysis of mothering and education that will have a huge influence on the field of education." --Professor Dan Goodley, University of Sheffield, UK This book offers a nuanced way to conceptualise South Asian Muslim families' experiences of disability within the UK. The book adopts an intersectional lens to engage with personal narratives on mothering disabled children, negotiating home-school relationships, and developing familiarity with the complex special education system. The author calls for a re-envisioning of special education and disability studies literature from its currently overwhelmingly White middle-class discourse, to one that espouses multi-ethnic and multi-faith perspectives. The book positions minoritised mothers at the forefront of the home-school relationship, who navigate the UK special education system amidst intersecting social inequalities. The author proposes that schools and both formal and informal institutions reformulate their roles in facilitating true inclusion for minoritised disabled families at an epistemic and systemic level. Sana Rizvi is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research focuses on examining inclusive and exclusive processes that impact the educational experiences of minoritised families at various intersections. Her work centres on developing and engaging in ethical and feminist qualitative research methodologies that are better suited to examining the experiences of racism and Islamophobia within communities of colour Foreword 6 References 10 Acknowledgements 12 Contents 14 Abbreviations 15 Part I 17 Chapter 1: The Harms of Being Spoken For 18 What Is the Dominant Perspective? 18 What Do We Know About the Mothering of Disabled Children? 21 What Do We Know About the Nature of Partnerships That Are Extended to Mothers? 24 Who Is the Focus in This Book? 26 What Is Intersectionality? 29 Why Is an Intersectional Lens Needed for This Work? 33 What Are the Main Issues Addressed in This Book? 39 References 43 Chapter 2: Mothering from the Periphery 47 Parveen 47 Saira 55 Kiran 63 Tahira 68 Shehnaz 74 Maria 81 Alina 89 Maham 95 References 101 Part II 105 Chapter 3: Mothering in a Muslim Context 106 The Racialization of Muslims 108 Islam and Mothering 111 Religious Citizenship 114 Religious Interpretation 118 Religious Inclusion 124 References 126 Chapter 4: Magnifying Gender and Sexual Rights 129 Consanguinity 132 Gendered Care 135 Children’s Sexual Rights 139 Education, Employment and Marriage 146 References 149 Chapter 5: Mothering in Cultural Bubbles 152 Cultural Bubbles 156 Cultural Competency in Community and Institutional Spaces 167 References 175 Chapter 6: Englistan and Citizenship 178 Shikwa with Pakistan 181 Shikwa with Englistan 190 References 197 Chapter 7: Concluding Thoughts ... 199 Barriers 200 Community Level 200 Religious Level 201 School Level 201 Local Authority Level 203 Recommendations 203 Greater Representation of Mothers in Religious Settings 204 Cultural and Community Centres 205 Deconstructing School Partnerships 206 Changing the Institutional Lens 207 The First Step to Undoing Whiteness 208 References 210 Addendum 212 Access 212 The Children 214 Data Collection 214 Ethical Consideration 216 References 217 Index 219 "This book offers a nuanced way to conceptualise South Asian Muslim families experiences of disability within the UK. The book adopts an intersectional lens to engage with personal narratives on mothering disabled children, negotiating home-school relationships, and developing familiarity with the complex special education system. The author calls for a re-envisioning of special education and disability studies literature from its currently overwhelmingly White middle-class discourse, to one that espouses multi-ethnic and multi-faith perspectives. The book positions minoritised mothers at the forefront of the home-school relationship, who navigate the UK special education system amidst intersecting social inequalities. The author proposes that schools and both formal and informal institutions reformulate their roles in facilitating true inclusion for minoritised disabled families at an epistemic and systemic level."--Provided by publisher