The History of Doing: An Illustrated Account of Movements for Women’s Rights and Feminism in India, 1800-1990

Front Cover
Zubaan, Oct 13, 2014 - Social Science

A thematic history of the women’s movement in India both before and after independence, this book covers the period from the nineteenth century to the present day. It looks at how women’s issues were raised, initially by men and as part of the movements for social reform, and then with the involvement of women in the nationalist movement, by women themselves.

Using photographs, old and new documents, excerpts from letters, books and informal writings, the author documents the growing involvement of women and the formation of the early women’s organizations; she examines the foregrounding of the 'women’s issue’ during the reform and nationalist movements and its subsequent disappearance from the agenda of public debate until the post independence period of the Sixties and Seventies when it surfaces again. Key questions raised are regarding the nature of the contemporary movement, the kinds of issues (such as rape, dowry, environment, work, health) it has taken up, its directions and perspectives, its differences from western movements, the role of autonomous women's organizations and their relationship with political parties, especially those of the left. Visually rich, this book provides a wealth of information in an easily written and accessible style and should appeal to a wide cross-section of readers.

Published by Zubaan.

 

Selected pages

Contents

About the Book
The Nineteenth Century
Towards Becoming The Mothers of the Nation
Organization and Struggle
Constructing the Image of a Woman Activist
The Nineteen Eighties
Personal Law and Communal Identities
The Struggle for a Safe Environment
Conclusion
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2014)

Radha Kumar has been Warren Weaver Fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation, New York and Executive Director, Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly. She was an Associate Fellow at the Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University and is associated with the Delhi Policy Group. Currently Visiting Professor at Jamia Milia Islamia University, New Delhi, she is author of Divide and Fall? Bosnia in the Annals of Partition and Making Peace with Partition.

Bibliographic information