Reading manuscripts for sense and sensitivity

Sensitivity editors read a work to spot biases in representation, but Indian publishing is divided on their need

- Vangmayi Parakala

In September last year, when journalist Radhika Iyengar's book Fire On The Ganges was published, she took to social media to acknowledge those who helped shape her work. Among the three editors she thanked in the post was Shalin Maria Lawrence, her sensitivity editor. Fire On The Ganges is about the lives of Doms, a sub-caste of Dalits who traditionally performed Hindu cremation rites in Varanasi.

Despite her years of reporting, Iyengar says she sought a sensitivity editor, "another set of eyes to read her work", since she was writing about a marginalised community.

In essence, a sensitivity editor whose qualifications boil down to lived experience combined with domain knowledgeis requested to read a manuscript and suggest changes on problematic representations with regard to caste, class, race, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. It's usually a freelance gig, with the publisher engaging the editor on a case-by-case basis, and it is often unpaid in India, while remuneration is fixed abroad.

A fellow journalist recommended Lawrence to Iyengar and the two spoke a few times before deciding they could work together since it is imperative that the "sensitivity editor understands the project and your intentions," says Iyengar, who describes Lawrence as "a respected, powerful voice... an established author and a Dalit rights activist", and ideal for the role.

Iyengar says she was "acutely cognisant" of her position of power relative to the community about which she was writing: "I am aware that no amount of research and storytelling can replace lived Dalit experiences but as a journalist, it's my responsibility to tell their stories with sincerity and honesty," she says.

At the heart of requesting sensitivity checks is the acknowledgement of vastly different lived experiences. An editor who steps in to do this will end up easing two insecurities: of misappropriation and of misrepresentation.