TOWARDS POLITICS OF THE (IM) POSSIBLE- The Body in Third World Feminism by Anirban Das, U.K.: Anthem Press, 2012, pp. xxii +211, $ 99/ Rs. 495/60 pounds (Paperback).
Book Review by Vibhuti Patel
This philosophically nuanced work examines discourse on ‘women’s question’ with profound theoretical rigour. The book highlights contemporary debate among feminists in the context of post-coloniality. It deconstructs body, gender and identity projected by the feminist standpoint theory. It provides critical reflection on inter-sectionality of social construction of ‘body’ and ‘others’ in the context of power relations and scientific rationality. The book enriches our understanding on ‘third world feminism’ by questioning ‘embodied knowledges’. The author makes an honest effort to delineate ethical priorities in foundational structuring of heterogeneous feminist efforts to question universal forms of knowing and enhances reader’s understanding on power dynamics.
A Brief introduction about Feminist literary Criticism- It's History, Criticism as literature and the the role of Female writer and it's Creations-Creative Writings and comparison.
This Presentation is about the feminist Criticism.
Here I talk about ,
1) What is Feminist Criticism
2) History of Feminist Criticism
3) Special Video through examples
4) Types of Feminism
this presentation is submitted to Department of English, MKBU
A Brief introduction about Feminist literary Criticism- It's History, Criticism as literature and the the role of Female writer and it's Creations-Creative Writings and comparison.
This Presentation is about the feminist Criticism.
Here I talk about ,
1) What is Feminist Criticism
2) History of Feminist Criticism
3) Special Video through examples
4) Types of Feminism
this presentation is submitted to Department of English, MKBU
Similar to Prof. Vibhuti Patel's Book Review of "Towards Politics of IMpossible-The Body in Third World Feminism" by Anirban Das, U.K.: Anthem Press, 2012
Confirming PagesUnder Western Eyes CHANDRA TA LPADE MO.docxmargaretr5
Confirming Pages
Under Western Eyes | CHANDRA TA LPADE MOHANTY 53
but rather are the framework that guides all of our
actions. To achieve this, we need to remind ourselves
of the dual politics of possibilities in our individual
and collective lives.
NOTES
1. I defi ne both as plural processes, the former refl ecting
the diversity of gendered realities around the world
and the latter in terms of economic, political, and
cultural processes. While both the multiple feminisms
and globalizations are mutually constitutive, they are
also distinct.
2. In addition to serving global capital through eco-
nomic means, Eisenstein (2005) argues that the U.S.
administration has used feminism for its imperial
policies via the war on terror.
3. Cross-border traders are those who buy food and
other consumer items in one country and sell it
another. In some regions, women take goods from
their home country to another and return with
goods from the foreign country to their own. Such
cross-border trade by women has been facilitated by
the economic globalization that has opened borders
between countries that previously did not allow such
easy fl ow of people and goods across borders.
REFERENCES
Acker, Joan. 2006. Class questions feminist answers. The
gender lens. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefi eld.
Beneria, Lourdes. 2003. Gender, development and global-
ization: Economics as if all people mattered. New York:
Routledge.
Desai, Manisha. 2007. The global women’s rights
movement and its discontents. President’s Message:
SWS Network News 24 (1): 2.
———. 2009a. From a uniform civil code to legal
pluralism: The continuing debates in India. In Gender,
family, and law in the Middle East and South Asia,
edited by Ken Cuno and Manisha Desai. Syracuse, NY:
Syracuse University Press.
———. 2009b. Rethinking globalization: Gender and
the politics of possibilities. Lanhan, MD: Rowman &
Littlefi eld.
Eisenstein, Hester. 2005. A dangerous liaison? Feminism
and corporate globalization. Science & Society 69 (3):
487–518.
Nederveen Pieterse, Jan. 2004. Globalization and culture:
A cultural melange. Lagham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefi eld.
Pearson, Ruth. 2003. Feminist responses to economic glo-
balization. In Women reinventing globalization, edited
by Joanne Kerr and Caroline Sweetman. Oxford, UK:
Oxfam.
Simon-Kumar, Rachel. 2004. Negotiating emancipation:
Public sphere, Gender, and critiques of neo-liberalism.
International Feminist Journal of Politics 6 (3):
485–506.
R E A D I N G 4
Under Western Eyes
Chandra Talpade Mohanty (1984)
What I wish to analyze is specifi cally the production
of the “third world woman” as a singular monolithic
subject in some recent (Western) feminist texts.
If one of the tasks of formulating and under-
standing the locus of “third world feminisms” is
delineating the way in which it resists and works
against what I am referring to as “Western feminist
discourse,” an analysis of the discursive cons.
Under Western Eyes Feminist Scholarship and Colonial DiscoMoseStaton39
Under Western Eyes:
Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses
Chandra Talpade Mohanty
It ought to be of some political significance at least that the
term "colonization" has come to denote a variety of phenomena in
recent feminist and left writings in general. From its analytic value as
a category of exploitative economic exchange in both traditional and
contemporary marxisms (particularly contemporary theorists such as
Baran, Amin and Gunder-Frank)' to its use by feminist women of color
in the U.S. to describe the appropriation of their experiences and
struggles by hegemonic white women's movements,52 colonization has
been used to characterize everything from the most evident economic
and political hierarchies to the production of a particular cultural dis-
course about what is called the "Third World."'3 However sophisti-
cated or problematical its use as an explanatory construct,
colonization almost invariably implies a relation of structural
domination, and a supression-often violent-of the heterogeneity of
the subject(s) in question. What I wish to analyze is specifically the
production of the "Third World Woman" as a singular monolithic
subject in some recent (Western) feminist texts. The definition of
colonization I wish to invoke here is a predominantly discursive one,
focusing on a certain mode of appropriation and codification of
"scholarship" and "knowledge" about women in the third world by
particular analytic categories employed in specific writings on the
subject which take as their referent feminist interests as they have
333
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been articulated in the U.S. and Western Europe.
My concern about such writings derives from my own
implication and investment in contemporary debates in feminist
theory, and the urgent political necessity (especially in the age of
Reagan) of forming strategic coalitions across class, race, and
national boundaries. Clearly Western feminist discourse and political
practice is neither singular nor homogeneous in its goals, interests or
analyses. However, it is possible to trace a coherence of effects
resulting from the implicit assumption of "the West" (in all its com-
plexities and contradictions) as the primary referent in theory and
praxis. My reference to "Western feminism" is by no means intended
to imply that it is a monolith. Rather, I am attempting to draw
attention to the similar effects of various textual strategies used by
particular writers that codify Others as non-Western and hence them-
selves as (implicitly) Western. It is in this sense that I use the term
"Western feminist." The analytic principles discussed below serve to
distort Western feminist political practices, and limit the possibility of
coalitions among (usually White) Western feminists and working
class and feminists of color around the world. These limita ...
Similar to Prof. Vibhuti Patel's Book Review of "Towards Politics of IMpossible-The Body in Third World Feminism" by Anirban Das, U.K.: Anthem Press, 2012 (15)
Vibhuti Patel: SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth, The Urban World Vol. 12,...VIBHUTI PATEL
The SDG 8 in the Indian Context articulated by Niti Ayog proclaims sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030. The GoI has stated Skill India Mission, stand up India Mission, Start-up India Mission and Mudra Lona schemes for generation of self-employment over last 5 years. But in reality work participation as well as quality of Indian women have declined drastically.
Vibhuti Patel Human Rights Movement in india Social Change, Sage, vol. 40, no...VIBHUTI PATEL
Human rights movement in India got its germination during the Emergency
Rule during 1975–1977 and developed during the post Emergency period.
Two major trends were marked by Civil liberties concerns and the rights
based perspectives. In the last 35 years, the human rights movement has been
enriched by collective wisdom emerging from the tribal movement, peasant
struggles, environmental movement, women’s liberation movement, child rights
movement, dalit movement and struggles of the differently abled persons. The
state and the mainstream institutions have had love hate relationships with
different types of human rights movements at different phases of history.Human rights movement in India got its germination during the Emergency
Rule during 1975–1977 and developed during the post Emergency period.
Two major trends were marked by Civil liberties concerns and the rights
based perspectives. In the last 35 years, the human rights movement has been
enriched by collective wisdom emerging from the tribal movement, peasant
struggles, environmental movement, women’s liberation movement, child rights
movement, dalit movement and struggles of the differently abled persons. The
state and the mainstream institutions have had love hate relationships with
different types of human rights movements at different phases of history.
Intensifying Complexities in the Global Context, People's reporter Vol. 32 no...VIBHUTI PATEL
Market fundamentalism of
neo-liberal economic
globalisation, religious
chauvinism and cultural
nationalism, financialisation of
the world economy, right wing
sectarian political leadership
both locally and globally,
valorisation of toxic patriarchy
and hyper masculinity with
hyper nationalism and jingoism
by globally controlled media
barons have intensified
complexities in governance,
polity, livelihood and survival
struggles in the midst of
climate change, for the mass of
rural and urban workers,
peasants, forest dwellers/
tribals, fisher folks, petty
traders, small scale
industrialists, sexual minorities
and women.
Vacha resource centre for Women Girls annual report 2018 19VIBHUTI PATEL
Vacha has impacted the lives of 77784 individuals through its creative and engaging programmes in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar Districts for building capacities in different areas.
Out of these, 70343 were extension beneficiaries, who have attended our events such as street play performances, meetings, rallies, newsletter release functions and public debates. Of these, 70 % were girls and women and 30% were boys and men
A total of 7441 i.e. 10 per cent were direct beneficiaries, who enrolled themselves for Vacha’s regular sessions, workshops, trainings, career fairs, gender and health fairs and camps and film screenings with follow up discussions on gender issues. Of these, 48% were girls, 23% were boys, 25% were women and 2% were men. We work with boys as they too are deprived, though the prevalent son preference gives them a preference at home for education and mobility. However with gender sensitisation, teenage boys become an excellent support group for girls, and together with girls in equal leadership roles, work on community issues.
The community residents (contemptuously called ‘slum dwellers’ though they themselves identify with the term basti for the community) are usually migrants from socioeconomically backward and very poor districts who have come in search of livelihood. Girls are affected in multiple ways as, besides the over arching gender and poverty issues many of them belong to religious and linguistic minorities. All of them have to deal with the orthodox mind set of elders as they still follow rather feudal practices of their villages.
3
Districts
6
Wards
48 Schools
15
Communities
5
Colleges
Vacha
Women Studies in Academic Disciplines: 6
Disciplining the Disciplines
- Prof. Maithreyi Krishnaraj
Transgression versus Transcendence an Analysis of 54
Dynamics of Women’s Sexuality in the Indian Epics
Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata
- Dr. Sarla Santwani
Women, Work and Empowerment: 70
A Case Study of the IT Sector
- Priyanka Dwivedi
The promise of the #MeToo movement for preventing and 83
reporting sexual harassment
- Dr. Linda Lane
Contribution of Socio-Cultural Factors in 96
Crime against Women
- Dr. Jasmine Damle
Identities and Negotiations between Women Householders and 113
Domestic Workers: A Case Study of Select Areas of Aligarh
- Dr. Tauseef Fatima and Dr. Shafey Anwarul Haque
Workplace Discrimination against Women in 130
the Formal Sector: Bias in the Quality of Work in
the Metropolitan Cities of India
- Dr. Sampriti Biswas
BOOK REVIEW
Political Feminism in India an Analysis of Actors, 152
Debates and Strategies
- Dr. Shital Tamakuwala
Women’s Employment: Work in Progress 156
- Ms Damyanty Sridharan
STATEMENTS
AIDWA and FAOW 158
SC judges in matter of Complaint of 158
sexual harassment against CJI
Golden jubilee lecture for css, surat prof. vibhuti patelVIBHUTI PATEL
Main concerns of women’s movement in India have been:
• Men outnumber women in India, unlike in most countries where the reverse is the case.
• Majority of women go through life in a state of nutritional stress - they are anaemic and malnourished. Girls and women face nutritional discrimination within the family, eating last and least.
• The average Indian woman has little control over her own fertility and reproductive health.
• Literacy rate is lower in women as compared to men and far fewer girls than boys go to school. Even when girls are enrolled, many of them drop out of school.
• Women’s work is undervalued and unrecognized. Women work longer hours than men and carry the major share of household and community work, which is unpaid and invisible.
• Once ‘women’s work’ is professionalized, there is practically a monopoly on it by men. For example, the professional chefs are still largely men. The Sexual Division of Labour ensures that women will always end up as having to prioritize unpaid domestic work over paid work. It is not a ‘natural’ biological difference that lies behind the sexual division of labour, but certain ideological assumptions.
• Women generally earn a far lower wage than men doing the same work, despite the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976. In no State do women and men earn equal wages in agriculture.
• Women are under-represented in various bodies of governance as well as decision-making positions in both public and private sectors.
• Women are legally discriminated against in land and property rights. Most women do not own property in their own names and do not get a share of parental property.
• Women face violence inside and outside the family throughout their lives.
Prof. Vibhuti Patel Food Price Volatility in India, Vidura July-September 2019VIBHUTI PATEL
At a time when hunger, food and nutrition security of the population and food sovereignty itself are at
stake, Vibhuti Patel looks at the effects of agricultural liberalisation in India, the dynamics of the food
market, the double standards of the developed nations, the failure of the Doha round of Trade Talks,
and possible remedies. Developing social safety nets for the socio-economically marginalised and poor
famers as well as urban, rural and tribal consumers needs the combined and concerted efforts of state
and non-state players,
Prof. Vibhuti Patel & Ms. Radhika Khajuria Hindi Bharat me Rajnaitik NaarivadVIBHUTI PATEL
Last 50 years of feminist activism in India has managed to challenge the 5000 years of patriarchal order by striking at root of exploitation and oppression, subjugation and degradation of women by deconstructing covert and overt violence against women in personal and public lives, to question pillars of male domination within family, kinship networks, organized religion, media and state. Series of legal reforms with respect to family laws dealing with marriage, divorce, custody of child/children, maintenance, inheritance; domestic violence; sexual violence, workplace harassment, maternity benefits and gender budgeting have become the part of an official agenda due to feminist movement. For this, pioneers of women’s rights movement and women’s studies scholars worked in unison.
Prof. Vibhuti Patel on "Draft Natinal higher Education Policy, 2019"People's ...VIBHUTI PATEL
The Draft National Education
Policy (DNEP)- 2019 is a serious
effort of the inter-disciplinary
committee chaired by
Dr. Kasturirangan, that included
Prof. Vasudha Kamath,
Prof. Manjul Bhargava,
Prof. Ram Shankar Kureel,
Prof. T.V. Kattimani, Sri. Krishna
Mohan Tripathi, Prof. Mazhar
Asif, Prof. M.K. Sridhar and
Dr. Shakila T. Shamsu.
It discusses content,
modalities, infrastructure and
support services for academic
excellence from early childhood
education till the post doctorate
research. The draft emphasises
integrating vocational education
into all schools, colleges and
universities. It highlights the
need for adult education,
promotion of Indian languages
and transformative education.
Vibhuti patel long march of indian women asian age 14 4-2019 pg11VIBHUTI PATEL
For the 17th Lok Sabha election,
major political parties
have again shied away
from fielding women. The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and Congress, two of the
biggest political outfits in the country,
have given less than 12 per cent
seats to women.
Under-representation of women in
seat distribution for candidature in
the Upper and Lower Houses of the
Parliament of India and for
Legislative Assemblies and
Legislative Councils of the state
government has been debated in
SAARC countries time and again.
Our neighbouring countries have
women’s quota in parliament as follows:
Bangladesh - 13 per cent (2008),
Pakistan - 17.5 per cent (2002) and
Nepal - 33 per cent (2016).
Health Action Sustainable Development Goals April 2019. ISSN: 0970-471XVIBHUTI PATEL
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs-2015-2030) are a derivative of the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), which spell out the following values: freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility. They are a clarion call of 189 governments, on behalf of their citizens, to “free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected”.
Population fFirst Nnewsletter fFeb april 2019VIBHUTI PATEL
Gender promises made by the state gets translated into gender
responsive budgetary commitments of the Union ministries and
departments. Like previous years, The Gender Budget Statement
(GBS) for the year 2019-20, in its Part A has provided schemes and
programmes 100% targeted for women and Part B had given the
schemes that are expected to use minimum of 30 per cent of the total
allocation for women and girls. The GBS is significant as it is the only
source of verifiable, quantitative information on government's efforts
at ensuring budgetary commitments towards women. The overall
financial allocation for the Union for 2019-20 (BE) is Rs. 1,31,700
crore, while the same for 2018-19 (BE) was Rs 1,24,367 crore. Thus
there is an increase of Rs. 7333 crores in the current budget
People’s power to defend themselves
against life threatening and ever
increasing economic crisis and social
strife, is the need of the hour. ‘Power to
the People’ can correct damages done
by inhuman macro-economic policies
that attack basic survival base of the
poor and the marginalised sections of
the society namely workers, poor and
marginal farmers, Dalits, Tribals, and
ethnic/religious minorities.
Experiences of the past 40 years have
shown how the social movements put
pressure on societal systems to
accelerate transformation, respond
directly to the experiences of people and
ensure social security and social
protection. The Right Based Approach
concerned about human development
that includes health, education,
employment, representation in decision
making bodies, and the
democratic processes in governance,
have resulted in the transformation of
people’s lives for the better.
Laxmi menon and vibhuti patel grinding realitiesVIBHUTI PATEL
Women constitute a majority of the work force in the informal sector
everywhere. The informal sector is unregulated, unprotected, supports the
formal sector and so matches the profile of women in a society organised on
patriarchal values and practices. In South Asia, more than 90 per cent of the
workforce is employed in the informal economy. The informal economy also
acts as a sponge, absorbing retrenched, uneducated and untrained workers.
Though women workers in the informal economy (the unorganised sector)
are engaged in employment activities which contribute significantly to the
GDP of a country, their economic and social contribution remains hidden,
under or unvalued. The heterogeneous nature of the informal economy
ranging from part time and irregular workers in East Asia to home based, self
employed, sub contract workers in South east and South Asia, makes
computing the economic as well as social contribution by workers of this
sector difficult.
We invite authors to send their research based articles, book reviews, statements, poems, etc. for publication in this peer reviewed and globally circulated journal. Prof. Vibhuti Patel and Dr. Ananda Amritmahal
We invite authors to send their research based articles, book reviews, statements, poems, etc. for publication in this peer reviewed and globally circulated journal.
Prof. Vibhuti Patel and Dr. Ananda Amritmahal
Quest in Education July 2018 ISSN: 0048-6434VIBHUTI PATEL
We request authors to send their original research-based articles and book reviews on issues concerning education. As Quest in Education publishes peer-reviewed articles, the authors should be ready to wait for seeing their article in print.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
2. Social Change, 45, 1 (2014): 1–3
2 Book Review
The author, in Chapter 3, delves on the notions of immanence and transcendence
—not opposing in separation nor conflating in union. The author asks a mind-
boggling question, “How to write (about) death?” And critically examines the
role of medicine in conceptualising the phenomenal body. Then he moves from
ontology to ethics. He comments on Fox Keller’s notion that ‘relations to the
secret are at the heart of scientific revolution and the purported progress, the
developments in science’ (p. 94). Fox Keller speaks of the relationship between
God/Nature and man/woman and finds roots of male supremacy as an ideological
tool to keep women in subordinate position.
Chapter 4 begins with a question, if in the post-modern parlance the body is not
one, then how is the body rendered many? While discussing sexual differences as
multiple singularities, the author believes that deconstructing discourse on mas-
culinity opens an avenue for feminisation of philosophy. He quotes Irigaray as
Spivak reads her in terms of two universals (arising out of sexual difference)
and two different ethical worlds. While showing relationship of sexual difference
with the struggle for equality of men and women, the author says, ‘the fight for
equal rights is not for the same sets of rights’ (p. 123). Feminist literary criticism
of Kamal Kumar Majumdar’s Bangla novel Antarjali Jatra in this chapter not
only makes a moving tale but also brings to the fore the political economy of sati
(p. 127). Yashomati, a Brahmin girl to be married to an old man on the verge
of death, exposes patriarchal vested interests in widow burning—the father is
relieved of the burden of an unmarried daughter, the Brahmin who conducts
the rituals of marriage and sati gets gold and money, and the grown-up sons of
Yashomati’s husband get prestige and portion of widow’s property. While dialogic
narrative of scheming of the patriarchs is heart-breaking, Baiju, Chandal, whose
job is to burn corpse, brings out the humane side. Baiju realises that Yashomati,
a widow, is an object of male manoeuvres and rebels against the patriarchs.
The author asks, ‘How mind-body binary acts itself out in the reason-emotion
dichotomy?’ (p. 130).
Feeling of shame, guilt, helplessness, disgust, consistent with the construction
of gendered body are discussed in detail in this chapter with respect to menstrua-
tion, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, class, caste, coloniality, religion and
other identities. The author discusses these complex issues by giving examples
from works of Taslima Nasreen and Jaya Mitra. While discussing valorisation
of motherhood, he quotes Spivak and states that ‘family is a machine for the
socialisation of female body through affective coding’ (p. 131).
Chapter 5 begins with scrutiny of structuralism, phenomenology and herme-
neutics and evaluates politics of location and experience in Third World femi-
nism. He reflects on positions of Julie Stephens (1989) and Chandra Mohanty
(1088) and shows the genesis of the construction of ‘Third World woman as a
monolith’ (p. 137) that challenged universal sisterhood-many voices one chant.
With this came the unfolding of heterogeneous history of struggles based on class,
caste, elite-non-elite and race. Cross-cultural studies became trendy in women’s
studies. In this backdrop, the author asks, Does category ‘woman’ in its bid to
3. Social Change, 45, 1 (2014): 1–3
Book Review 3
homogenise in the model of white, western, middle class identity do violence
to black women, Third World women or women workers? (p. 142). He talks of
location specificity of women in Third World in the twin sense of the cartographic
and the historical. He mentions contribution of Janaki Nair, ‘On the Question of
Agency in Indian Feminist Historiography’that advocates feminist viewpoint that
sees woman neither as a victim nor as a rebellious heroine but performs ‘negative
critical task of unmasking gender-neutral methodologies and the development of
a complex and dynamic conception of female agency’ (p. 145). This viewpoint
does not treat victimhood and agency in a contradictory mode. The author treats
experiences as mediated by discourses and histories. Shefali Moitra’s attempt to
classify and categorise general forms of hegemony through patterns of communi-
cation ‘speaking to…’ and ‘speaking with …’ the former being Anglo-American
tradition and latter being rooted in ‘cognitive anxiety’.
The concluding chapter, titled ‘Towards a Politics of The (Im)possible’, begins
with Leninique question, ‘What is to be done?’ This exploration of the dynamics
of the production of the ‘body’ with a focus on the ‘others’ (death, sexual differ-
ence and colonial experience) provides nuanced understanding on Third World
feminism.
Detailed notes and an extensive bibliography enhance the value of this
scholarly effort multifold. Scholars interested in gender studies, philosophy, polit-
ical science, logic, ethics and philosophy will find this theoretically dense book
extremely educative in terms of ideological, conceptual and ethical concerns.
Vibhuti Patel
Director, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy and
Professor and Head, Post Graduate Department of Economics
SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
vibhuti.np@gmail.com