ABSTRACT
Son preference has come to be known and told through a number of dominant narratives that rely on particular epistemological assumptions. While this has different inflections across the various sites of one's research in Punjab, India and the South Asian diaspora, this chapter outlines the contours of a cartography of research and enquiry which privileges certain ways of 'knowing' son preference, while often silencing or appearing oblivious to others. It reflects the author’s concerns tracing routes toward more reflexive, critical approaches to researching son preference, which often requires the 'looking glass' to be turned back toward the commentator. This is precisely the focus, in terms of addressing a politics of research which can further contribute to a more robust intellectual project. Each discipline has generated its own type of 'gaze' toward how son preference articulates itself within South Asian societies.
