Sensory Futures: Deafness and Cochlear Implant Infrastructures in India

Sensory Futures explores the unequal distribution of cochlear implants in India, highlighting the implications of biotechnical intervention in the realm of disability and state politics in the Global South. Michele Ilana Friedner's research focuses on deaf people's desires to create habitable worlds and grapple with their futures, rejecting sensory hierarchies that privilege audition and calling for multisensory, multimodal, and multipersonal ways of relating to the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 12 July 2022
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Revealing inequalities and sensory hierarchies embedded in the latest medical technologies and global biotechnical markets, this captivating book delves into the profound implications of cochlear implants, hailed as the first successful bionic technologies, as they traverse the globe and become accessible through both state-provided services and expanding private markets. In her insightful exploration, Michele Ilana Friedner, a deaf bilateral cochlear implant user, weaves personal reflections into a detailed ethnography of everyday negotiations, activist aspirations, and the intimate spaces of the family. Through a thoughtful intersection of sensory anthropology and disability studies, Friedner analyzes how normative sensoria are cultivated and the pursuit of listening and speaking capability is enacted. She challenges the prevailing sensory hierarchies that prioritize audition, advocating for multisensory, multimodal, and multipersonal ways of relating to the world.

Sensory Futures takes readers on a journey to explore deaf peoples desires to create habitable worlds and grapple with the possibilities of their futures, both in India and beyond. Amid a surge in both biotechnological interventions and disability rights activism, this book offers a sensitive and in-depth examination of the specific experiences of deaf individuals, encompassing both children and adults. It sheds light on the structural, political, and social opportunities afforded by these technologies, while also raising important questions about their potential limitations and ethical considerations.

By centering the voices and experiences of deaf people, Sensory Futures contributes to a broader understanding of disability experiences and challenges dominant narratives that often overlook the diverse perspectives and aspirations of marginalized communities. It serves as a valuable resource for scholars, activists, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the complex interplay between technology, disability, and social justice. Through its insightful analysis and compelling storytelling, this book offers a roadmap for building more inclusive and equitable societies that embrace the full range of human sensory abilities.

Dimension: 216 x 140 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517912123