Disasters and the “Other Gender”: Exploring the Experiences of the Hijra Community in Disasters in India

Aditi Sharan was the primary researcher for this project. It was her PhD project focusing on gender beyond the binary in disasters. It was completed under the School of Environment at Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland.

The project focused on the hijra community of India and their experience of disasters and everyday life. This research contributes to the dialogue on 'categories' and 'labels' in the context of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Looking at the juxtaposition of environmental factors with regional socio-political and cultural conditions, it explores the idea of "gender" and inclusion of diverse gender groups - beyond the West in postcolonial contexts - in disaster related policy, practice and research.

Aditi worked with her supervision team on this project which includes Prof. JC Gaillard (PI), Prof. Karen Fisher (Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland) and Associate Professor Emmanuel Raju (University of Copenhagen).