Qualitative Narratives of Space and Gender

This edited volume brings together the works of researchers who are working on diverse contemporary themes of space and gender through qualitative narratives with a specific focus on India. Qualitative Narratives of Space and Gender is unique with respect to its methodology as every chapter relies on different qualitative approaches such as archival, empirical, observational and analysis of visual mediums to interrogate questions of space and gender through research administered in different parts of India. The chapters investigating the questions of space shed light on mental health narratives in relation to medical institutions, forests as spaces of conservation, representation of caste and linguistic identity through the medium of cinema as a space and locating caste narratives in temple inscriptions. On the other hand, the chapters exploring the questions of gender discuss ideas of masculinity in the feminist retellings of the epic Ramayana, auto-ethnographic accounts of performances in kitchen spaces and empirical findings on challenges of STEM mothers who are working in Indian academia and examining the perceptions of childfree women regarding the stigma associated with their status. In addition to addressing these two themes of space and gender through a narrative-based approach, the chapters of this volume also touch upon and discuss some of the United Nations 2030 focus on sustainable development by creating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality and Sustainable cities and communities.