Curricular discourses of inclusion in India: A content analysis of the Class 7 textbook ‘exploring society—India and beyond’

This research analyses the Class 7 social science textbook ‘Exploring Society: India and beyond’, which focuses on explaining disability and economic, social, and political inclusion in the Indian context. Central to this analysis is the identification of a profound curricular silence regarding disability, which stands in stark contrast to the textbook's explicit engagement with idealism. Using a social model lens of inclusion, this study systematically analysed how a key NCERT middle school textbook constructs disability, economic inclusion, social inclusion, and political inclusion. This approach addresses a significant gap, as studies have systematically coded Indian middle school textbooks using a multidimensional inclusion framework. The findings of the analysis revealed a pedagogical environment characterized by discretionary inclusion within the instructional framework. Although the curriculum forcefully advocated for social and political equality through a rights‐oriented paradigm, the subject of disability was predominantly absent or confined to perfunctory and marginal annotations. This methodological choice reinforces the perception of a non‐disabled person as the norm and circumvents a substantive critique of systemic impediments. By foregrounding these patterns of curricular silence and selective inclusion, this study provides a critical analytical contribution to understanding how textbooks manage the ideological boundaries of inclusion. Ultimately, this research calls for a shift towards non‐tokenistic, strengths‐based representations to foster a truly inclusive educational environment that aligns with both national mandates and international human rights standards.