Indian Journal of Gender Studies current issue

Colonial Domesticities, Contentious Interactions: Ayahs, Wet-Nurses and Memsahibs in Colonial India

Sen, I. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:05 PST

Nineteenth and early 20th century colonial writings projected the colonial home as a microcosm of the empire. However, as this article argues, the memsahibs’ imperial authority was often undermined by the dynamics of domestic relationships inside the home. Complex and contradictory, they threatened to render the colonial home an ambivalent—and even contested—space. In particular, the location of two female servants inside the colonial nursery—the ayah and the wet-nurse—was problematic. Ayahs were close to European children, who were the next generation of imperial rulers. Often, these children were more attached to their servants than to their parents. An even darker figure was that of the wet-nurse who was universally perceived negatively. This paper draws upon a range of materials from memoirs to medical handbooks to delineate tensions within the imperial home.

Saogat and the Reformed Bengali Muslim Woman

Gupta, S. D. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

This article explores the interface of politics and women’s writing in late colonial Bengal and traces the trajectory of identity formation of middle-class Bengali Muslim women through a reading of the history of Saogat—founded in 1918, the liberal reformist periodical acclaimed to have mentored some of the best-known women writers of Muslim Bengal. Taking into account some of the changes in the political climate of Bengal from the 1920s to the 1940s, the paper researches the influence of politics on the changing course of Saogat and the moving of women’s voices to a separate domain—the women’s weekly, Begum, established a few weeks before the partition of India in 1947. In doing so, it recognises the plurality in elite women’s writing in Bengal in this period and shows how the shifting grounds of a periodical in relation to categories of identity like religion and state politics, shapes women’s writing produced therein.

Political Awareness and its Implications on Participatory Behaviour: A Study of Naga Women Voters in Nagaland

Amer, M. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

The analysis in this article centres around three questions: First, how well informed are Naga women voters about politics. Second, whether political interest, media exposure and political discussion have an impact on women’s level of political awareness. Third, whether women’s level of political awareness influences their participation in electoral activities. The results indicate that a majority of the women have moderate awareness about politics. Their level of political awareness is accounted for by their level of interest in politics, pattern of media use and frequency of political discussion. The result also reports a limited impact of political awareness on women’s participation in electoral activities.

Dusty Trails and Unsettled Lives: Women's Labour Migration in Rural India

Agnihotri, I., Mazumdar, I. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

Women's Exclusion in Farmer Management of Irrigation Systems in Tamil Nadu: A Case Study

Dasthagir, K. G. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

The Tamil Nadu Farmer Management of Irrigation Systems (TNFMIS) Act (2000) has legalised the participation of registered landowners (men and women) in the management of major and medium irrigation systems in the state. This article analyses the nature and extent of women’s exclusion in the management of a medium irrigation system in this state. The evidence indicates that gender discrimination underlies both land ownership and election strategies to exclude women from participation.

The Status of Fisherwomen in Andhra Pradesh

Immanuel, S., Rao, G. S. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

Fisheries is an important sector contributing to the Indian economy. This study of fisherwomen from a village in Andhra Pradesh provides data collected from 1,180 respondents. It presents facts of the women’s home and work lives and the areas where there is room for their betterment.

Book Reviews

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST

New Resources

Vyas, A. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:53:06 PST