Aneesa Shafi’s research while affiliated with University of Kashmir and other places

This paper attempts to investigate the dwindling status of older adults within family settings in Kashmir, specifically focusing on their non-involvement in decision-making within the household. It argues that various socio-economic changes within society have influenced the traditional values and attitudes leading to shifts in the perception and treatment of older adults within families. These shifts have not just altered their traditional standing, but have also excluded them from the significant decision making of the families. The societal transformation brought about by the forces of modernization and industrialization has created an environment of individualism and opportunism among the young leading to alteration in the traditional support system for the older adults. As a result, older adults find themselves excluded and not consulted in significant decisions taken at home. Their opinions and insights in the affairs of the family are often overlooked and disregarded. This is a qualitative study, based on 20 oral narratives conducted over time, with older adults experiencing non-involvement in family affairs. The findings of the study revealed that older adults have experienced a substantial decline in their participation in intrafamilial decision making within the household. Such decline is attributed to the socio-cultural changes in various aspects of society.

In the past, the world generally recognized only two genders—male and female. However, more recently, the concept of a third gender has gained acceptance in certain regions. Until 2011, the Indian Census did not formally acknowledge the Transgender Community. The 2011 Census marked the first official recognition of third gender persons in India. The term Hijra is used in South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan, to describe transgender individuals who are born male but do not completely identify as either male or female.The total transgender population in India is estimated to be approximately 4.88 lakh individuals. In India, transgender individuals, often referred to as Hijras, face a complex social and legal landscape. Traditionally recognized as a distinct gender category with cultural significance dating back centuries, Hijras are often marginalized and face discrimination despite legal recognition in recent years. However, challenges persist, including social stigma, highlighting ongoing struggles for equality and acceptance. The primary aim of this study is to gain insight into the status of the transgender population in India by reviewing relevant literature. Consequently, secondary sources of data have been employed for this study.

Recognizing the significance of education in the development of valuable Human Capital, investing in appropriate infrastructure for providing quality education to all is presently high on the policy agenda of India. However, looking at the diversity of the population in terms of caste, class, and region, every attempt to ensure quality education has an inherent challenge to be addressed. The present paper aims to understand the efficacy and reliability of having an inclusive admission policy and a simultaneous ICT-enabled teaching-learning methodology in vogue. The article argues that an inclusive admission policy demands a teaching-learning methodology that equally minimizes otherwise prevailing disparities. Having IT enabled facilities requires an efficient mechanism to train the stakeholders and create mass awareness about the facilities that would enable everyone to have equal access to the facilities.

While employing a phenomenological perspective, the present study aimed to explore the varied experiences of transgender individuals in Kashmir, concerning their health-seeking behavior, and the constraints they face while accessing healthcare resources on a day-to-day basis in their life world. Participants were recruited through the purposive and snowball sampling strategies and the sufficiency of sample size was determined by data saturation. Data were collected using face-to-face in-depth interviews and analyzed through Colaizzi’s procedure of extracting recurrent themes and their interwoven relationships in qualitative research. Three main themes of awareness and the preferences for healthcare, gender identity and persistent stigmatization in care settings, and intra-community support and the resultant caregiving were prominent. Results of the study revealed that the transgender individuals in Kashmir experience inappropriate health-seeking behaviour primarily due to their unawareness regarding health, diseases and public healthcare programs/schemes, financial constraints, social exclusion, improper support and social stigma. They often prefer treating their health issues, mostly through local pharmacies or patent medicine vendors (PMVs), instead of visiting the medical professionals in the organized sector. Moreover, in many instances, they were also found to delay their decisions to seek care or simply decided to remain far from any medical intervention. As a result, the transgender individuals in Kashmir usually experience underutilization of formal healthcare services, which undermines their right to proper health and well-being.

Transgender persons are one such group of people who have been marginalized and excluded from general society and the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these socio-cultural problems for them. Therefore, it is imperative to protect such vulnerable populations from this pandemic particularly considering they are at an increased risk for a wide range of issues. Telephonic Interviews were conducted with 20 participants, from April 1, 2021, to May 12, 2021. The findings of the study revealed that their lived experiences as transgenders made it apparent that they had been socially excluded and marginalized at many stages of their lives from performing normal social functions and roles and the COVID-19 pandemic has added to their miseries. Due to this health crisis, transgender people are struggling to manage the financial, mental, physical, and social issues it has created for this vulnerable group. Using a qualitative approach, this study aimed to examine the changing nature of the socio-cultural implications of COVID-19 on transgenders in Kashmir. Besides it is important to address the special needs of transgender people during this pandemic of COVID-19 and beyond.

The educational remoteness of Scheduled Tribes (STs) is still a major issue in many countries, especially in India. This study provides an insightful examination of the educational disadvantage of the Scheduled Tribes in the particular setting of Kashmir, India. The study examines socio-economic, cultural and political aspects of the region that impact educational disparities in the Scheduled Tribes population to provide an in-depth analysis of the factors that cause these disparities. It draws attention to the difficulties and barriers to their academic advancement, including institutional bias, poverty, limited access to quality education and cultural differences. The study also highlights the need to develop context-sensitive strategies, community involvement, inclusive policies and targeted interventions to close the education gap and provide equal opportunities to Scheduled Tribes for a better future.

Education includes every process, except genetics, that helps to mold a person's mind, character, or physical capacity. It is a lifelong process, for we must learn new ways of thought and action with every major change in our lives (Malinowski, 1947). The main objective of this study is to acquire an understanding of tribal education through a review of related literature. Therefore, the secondary source of data has been utilized for the present study. India is home to a large, variety of indigenous people. The tribal population represents one of the most economically impoverished and marginalized groups in India. They are mainly residing in hilly and mountainous regions. With a population of more than 10 crores, India has the single largest tribal population in the whole world. Education is one of the chief means of transformation towards development in general and human resource development in particular in the present modern world. Education acts as an impetus not only for the economic development of tribes but also for the all-round development of the tribal communities which aids them in meeting the new challenges of life. However, there is a need to formulate more measures and programs that are necessary to bring about enhancement in tribal education in general. Besides improvements in teaching-learning methods, skills, infrastructure, facilities, amenities and the overall conditions of the educational institutions need to be focused upon. Moreover, there is a need for awareness among the tribal population about the importance of education and various schemes related to tribal education.

The paper attempts to explore different forms of suffering that the elderly (60 years and above) in Kashmir face within families and the broader society. It argues that the changes which the society has witnessed over a period of time have created an atmosphere of individualism and opportunism among the youth and a spontaneous hostility towards the elderly. The sociocultural and religious values of Kashmiri society situated the elderly at a dignified place; however, the recent advancements within the society and the lack of preparedness to deal with the subsequent challenges have further marginalized and alienated the elderly in and outside the family setting. The paper draws its inferences from the oral narratives conducted with 50 elderly persons and 10 semi-structured interviews with different resource persons.

By coming out of their homes in the gainful employment, women have broken the traditional notion that working outside is derogatory to them or that only under gross economic necessity they can work outside of their homes. Even though, women’s social and political rights and value of equalitarian status have been taken into account, there is limited reduction in sex-linked boundaries existing in many professions especially armed forces and policing related fields. The working women are a correlatively new phenomenon in Kashmiri society. Women in Jammu and Kashmir were allowed entry on regular basis into police force after 1947. We are, however, still ignorant about the problems they had faced or facing as a police woman. The woman in police needs careful inquiry rather than mere criticism. This book is based on sociological inquiry of women in police and the book also addresses general issues surrounding women in the police. There is hardly any sociological study of women police in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.