Feminist Theoretical Models: Questions from the Indian Context

“In childhood, a woman should be under her father’s control, in youth under her husband’s and when her husband is dead, under her sons, she should not have independence….” (Buhler, 1992). The term “Feminism” comes from French and has its origin from the Latin word ‘femina’ meaning ‘woman’, and thereby, it refers to the advocacy of woman’s rights seeking to remove restrictions that discriminate against women. It relates to the belief that women should have the same social, economic and political rights as men. Feminism has often focused upon what is absent rather than what is present. The word feminist refers to the person who advocates or practices feminism and it assumes a political position. Female is the matter of biology and feminine is a set of culturally defined characteristics.

the last 50 years of feminist activism in India has managed to challenge the 5,000 years of patriarchal order. the main achievements were the deconstruction of violence against women, questioning of male domination within the family, kinship, religion, media and the State, in addition to a series of legal reforms. understanding of privilege to reshape the world has been the distinct contribution of the feminist movement along with the focus on the marginalised. the feminist space in India is distinctive and builds upon a diversity of women’s groups, political party networks, feminist and HIV/AIDS-related nGos, nonfunded feminist and queer groups and individuals, democratic rights groups, eco-feminists, non-feminists, research institutes and universities. Despite the broad experience, this space remains rather disunited. Currently, there is a backlash to feminism, as major insights of women’s activism did not succeed in altering the fixed notions of gender roles and traditions. on the contrary, some of these have enjoyed a revival with marketisation and cultural traditionalism. there is a disconnect between theory and practice: study groups and human rights activists seem to work in silos, unlike in the 1970s when there was greater dialogue between the women’s movement and women’s studies. the gendering of citizenship requires us to question and challenge the fact that citizenship, a supposedly public identity, is produced and mediated by the supposedly private heterosexual patriarchal family. the ‘personal’ has become ‘political’ as it is completely submerged in power relations. Like any other structure of power, patriarchy too has an outside, which is what makes possible the different kinds of protests that constantly undermine it. Feminism today is the constant questioning of the world we perceive and the boundaries we encounter. the more we understand, the more we are able to build a narrative for change. there are innumerable new energies arising from different positions transforming the feminist field: new contestations of patriarchy, and new contestations of the normative feminism itself. It will be the interplay of fields that might change the system altogether.

Feminism in India has never been monolithic. Resonating through the various struggles confronting feminist politics, feminism in India can only be examined against the backdrop of women's struggles for gender equality. Feminist voices have emerged out of the rich and varied history of their struggles in a complex and diverse society. Born out of the need to confront the many-layered system of oppression in a highly in-egalitarian society, feminist ideologies are shaped by the vigilance required to prevent the erosion of women's rights and entitlements. Shaped by the realities of women's lives, Indian feminism has not been articulated in on voice . Its abiding commitment to inclusive politics has transformed and enriched it. Abandoning therefore the notion of a stable cohesive sex-gender identity, contemporary feminist voices speak from the multiple locations of women's experiences.

The Creative launcher, 2021

The paper aims to highlight the complexities that are dominant in Indian society. The variety of issues that makes Indian feminism different from western feminism is also explored. The present paper presents a brief overview of western feminism, however, a large portion discuss the Indian feministic concerns and issue. The paper is not limited to any particular writer or writing of an author but it is an eclectic approach to present the subtle difficulties of Indian feminism in the best possible way. The focus is largely on the third and fourth wave of feminism. Giving the increasing insecurities of women even in this digital era, the paper therefore is a humble effort in that direction to bring some of the merging issues and concerns of women in general and Indian women in particular to the forefront. An eclectic approach has been used for the evaluation of the issues and concerns therefore the paper highlights various feministic issues like cultural social, economic individual, Islamic etc. associated with different branches of feminism.

Feminism is a struggle for equality of women, an effort to make a woman like a man in all aspects. The present paper throws the light on the status of women in pre and post independent India to show the present standing on this issue. The views of various authors have been reported to justify the need of feminism for making India, a developed nation. The basic rights of women should be same as that of men and gender biasness need to be completely eradicated for the continuous progress of our country. Patratical Indian society shows ideal women as warm, gentle, dependent and submissive human being. In recent times, the status of women has been undergoing a rapid transformation in all parts of the world and so the proper portrayal of woman is crucial in every field of the life. In pre independent India, lack of education and scientific temperament in masses along with blind following of medieval traditions and orthodox religious practices were the main reasons for suffering of the women. Although many efforts have been done by various stakeholders for removing gender disparity after independence yet women continued to be the victim of several forms of discrimination even after independence. Women of 21 st century can " t be pressurized to obey the traditional concept of womanly behavior. Things are changing and more need to be changed. This require alteration of the at every level and all of us need to recognize the inherited prejudices of our collective consciousness. Only then, we can move from a nation which is state organized to a globally inter dependent world based on both unity and diversity.

Seção Temática, 2018

The present paper looks at the historical background of the rise of feminism and women’s movement and doing gender in India. Not only in India but all over the world there has been a close link between feminism and the women’s movement, each inspiring and enriching the other. In the Indian context, while the women’s movement is a much earlier phenomenon, the term Feminism is a modern one. Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. In the pre-independence era, the women’s movement began as a social reform movement in the 19th century. At this time, the western idea of liberty, equality and fraternity was being imbibed by our educated elite through the study of English and the contact with west. This western liberalism was extended to the women’s question and was translated into a social reform movement. In the post-Independence period during the first few decades, the major concern was for overall economic growth. This was immediately followed by another decade, which witnessed an increased concern for equity and poverty alleviation. Gender issues were subsumed in poverty related concerns and there were no such specific programs, which aimed at women. In the postindependence period, the women’s movement has concerned itself with a large number of issues such as dowry, women’s work, price rise, land rights, political participation of women, Dalit women and marginalized women’s right, growing fundamentalism, women’s representation in the media etc. and a large number of Non-Government organizations have taken up this issue. Women’s studies and now Gender studies is also an off shoot of the long history of women’s movement in India. Various women’s studies Centres have been set up and today again these are at the brink of disappearing from the radar and there is a struggle which is now going on. Though a lot needs to be achieved and there are various impediments in making this reality available to a large section of women, the women’s movement has brought women’s issues center stage and made them more visible.

Since the dawn of civilizations in most of places, women were treated as a second sex, compelling them to accept and even conform to the norms that this inferior position had to accord them. From a time when women struggled to gain the right to vote when they agitated to

In India, women are regarded as custodians of the tradition, culture and heritage and hence they were regarded as an essential part of society. No positive changes or developments in the society can be brought in a land like India by ignoring its women The present day condition forces the modern Indian feminist thinkers to think about the need of providing proper guidance and opportunities to the women folk for making them aware of their social responsibilities, needs and the injustice towards them within the limits of the cultural tradition of the country. It is possible only by making an integrated effort to awaken Indian women spiritually, morally and intellectually. For this, Indian feminists have to frame an Indian theory of feminism, within the limits of the native culture and heritage.

Revista Ártemis, 2014

The present paper looks at the challenges to feminism in the 21st century and gives a south Asian perspective. All over the world there has been a close link between the women's movement and feminism, each inspiring and enriching the other. While the women's movement is a much earlier phenomenon, the term Feminism is a modern one. Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. The present paper looks at the challenges to feminism in the South Asian region, with a special focus on India. These can be referred to as the three G's-the attitude towards, Girl child, Gender violence and Globalization. South Asia is home to around a fifth of world population. Though today this region is characterized by high economic growth for the past 10-15 years yet poverty is also a reality along with illiteracy, backwardness and a large population. In the absence of a State support structure, the family plays a major role in this culture and this affects women more than men. All South Asian cultures are patriarchal. There is a lot of value placed on the birth of a son and one of the major problems facing the family today is the declining sex ratio. Gender-based violence is a universal reality of the South Asian region regardless of income, class and culture. The liberalization of the economy in the wake of Globalization in many South Asian countries has vastly diminished traditional livelihood means for the poor. The dominance of rich nations, multinational corporations and international capital over markets, resources and labour in the developing countries through trade, aid and technology transfer has greatly weakened the capacity of nation states and governments to promote human development and offer protection to the poor people. The paper concludes by stating that feminism is as relevant as ever before and the biggest challenge of 21st century feminism as to how do we integrate difference with an interdependent world.

Revista Ártemis, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Brazil, Volume 17, No, 1, pp. . 3-14. ISSN: 1807-8214. , 2014

The present paper looks at the challenges to feminism in the 21st century and gives a south Asian perspective. All over the world there has been a close link between the women’s movement and feminism, each inspiring and enriching the other. While the women’s movement is a much earlier phenomenon, the term Feminism is a modern one. Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. The present paper looks at the challenges to feminism in the South Asian region, with a special focus on India. These can be referred to as the three G’s - the attitude towards, Girl child, Gender violence and Globalization. South Asia is home to around a fifth of world population. Though today this region is characterized by high economic growth for the past 10-15 years yet poverty is also a reality along with illiteracy, backwardness and a large population. In the absence of a State support structure, the family plays a major role in this culture and this affects women more than men. All South Asian cultures are patriarchal. There is a lot of value placed on the birth of a son and one of the major problems facing the family today is the declining sex ratio. Gender-based violence is a universal reality of the South Asian region regardless of income, class and culture. The liberalization of the economy in the wake of Globalization in many South Asian countries has vastly diminished traditional livelihood means for the poor. The dominance of rich nations, multinational corporations and international capital over markets, resources and labour in the developing countries through trade, aid and technology transfer has greatly weakened the capacity of nation states and governments to promote human development and offer protection to the poor people. The paper concludes by stating that feminism is as relevant as ever before and the biggest challenge of 21st century feminism as to how do we integrate difference with an interdependent world.