WOMEN, INK. BOOKLINK #63
December 2006
Sofia Binioris
This month, we feature an exciting
array of titles and additional resources, from different
regional perspectives, in the area of Women and
Development. The new titles for this month are:
2. Asian Women 3. Feminism in India 4. Gender Equality 5. The Driving Force of
Development in India Visit our website at
www.womenink.org
for further information and to buy any of the featured
titles. African Gender Studies: A
Reader Three decades of feminist research
have shown that gender is a socio-cultural and historical
construct. Yet much of the development in the field of
gender studies is based on European and North American
experiences. African Gender Studies: A Reader is a
necessary correction to this longstanding problem. The
anthology brings African knowledge to bear on ongoing
global engagement with gender and allied concepts:
feminism, womenís rights, human rights,
globalization, development and social transformation.
Bringing together a variety of papers, the book includes
articles that speak to a range of debates in the field of
womenís studies and African studies, as well as
those that address issues in various disciplines
including history, literary studies, philosophy,
sociology and anthropology. Asian Women Placing Asian women centre stage,
this collection challenges a dichotomized view of Asia
and the 'West' or 'North'. It offers an understanding of
Asian women in their networks of connections through the
work of feminist scholars discussing Asian women in Asia,
Australia, Europe and North America. While the emphasis
is on how the identities of Asian women are socially
constructed and represented in books, on screen and in
the media, it also includes discussions on how Asian
women present and represent themselves. Few books deal
with Asian women's interconnections, and even fewer
express the range of theoretical perspectives, linkages
and disciplines that are the focus of this collection. It
will open important intellectual discussions about Asian
and comparative feminisms. Feminism in India This book brings together the
writing of prominent Indian academics and activists as
they debate the issue of feminism in the context of
Indian culture, society and politics and explore its
theoretical foundations. The inevitability of the
association with Western feminism, the status of women in
colonial and independent India, and the more recent
challenges to Indian feminism posed by globalization and
the upsurge of the Hindu right in Indian politics are
discussed at length. Bridging the academic/ activist,
personal/ political and local/ global divides, this
collection shows how the movement is part of a larger
project of consolidating the liberal values of secularism
and democracy. It deepens our understanding of why,
despite the existence of legal and constitutional rights
to prevent discrimination, women are still subject to
oppressive practices such as dowry. Ultimately, the
feminist voice merges with the voices of all
disadvantaged and discriminated groups engaged in the
"battle for the recognition of difference." Gender Equality Based on the findings of UNRISD's
ongoing gender research and over 60 specially
commissioned studies, this report's analysis is centred
on the economic and political reforms of the 1990s.
Though most of these reforms did not directly address
gender equality, they nevertheless received considerable
scrutiny from a gender perspective. Moreover, they had
significant and mixed implications for gender relations
and womenís well-being. As the subtitle alludes,
achieving gender equality and gender justice will be very
difficult in a world that is increasingly unequal. The
report presents strong arguments for placing gender
equality at the core of efforts to reorient the
development agenda. Indeed, this is essential if some of
the key contemporary challenges (economic growth and
structural transformation, equality and social
protection, and democratization) are to be met. Grass-roots NGOs by Women for
Women Adopting an inter-disciplinary
approach, this book provides an in-depth understanding of
how small non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India,
run by and for women, are particularly effective in
garnering support from the grass-roots and in tapping the
knowledge base of local communities. Based on first-hand
observations spanning five years and interviews with 20
founders of NGOs, it explores the factors that motivate
and facilitate womenís entrepreneurship in the
development sector. It examines the organizational
structures that have evolved based on feminist ideology
and the services provided (e.g. self-help groups and
microfinance). The authors also discuss the social impact
of these NGOs in promoting both development and
womenís empowerment. Overall, they find that women
entrepreneurs act as facilitators with a unique
leadership style and that they encourage community-based
movements grounded in local issues. As a result, these
NGOs are successfully changing the landscape of rural
poverty in India while ushering in sustainable
development. ********************************************************************* RESOURCES This section is a compilation of
free resources on Women and Development available on the
Internet: 1. Feminist
Africa Feminist Africa is a publication of
the "Strengthening Gender and Womenís Studies for
Africaís Transformation (GWS) Project" of the
African Gender Institute, Cape Town, South Africa. The
journal is a forum for progressive, cutting-edge research
and feminist dialogue focused on the African continent
that challenges often narrowly defined development work
on gender in Africa. The journal is committed to
transforming gender hierarchies in Africa and seeks to
confront linkages between different African regions,
nation-states and social identities, within the shared
history of exploitation and marginalization throughout
the continent and within the context of globalprocesses.
All six issues since the journalís 2002 launch are
available free for download on their website. For enquiries, email:
info@feministafrica.org 2. Multiculturalism and
Feminism: No Simple Question, No Simple Answers This paper was published in
Minorities within Minorities and addresses
tensions between multiculturalism and feminism, looking
at the conflict between supporting and protecting many
cultures while simultaneously aiming to promote equal
dignity and respect for women. For a PDF version: http://www.law.nyu.edu/clppt/program2003/readings/okin.pdf 3. The Women's Movement In
India: Action and Reflection The article first appeared in the
Communique (nos. 42-43, July-August 1997) and presents
the history and diversity of the womenís movement
in India. Urvashi Butalia contends that the absence of a
single cohesive movement, rather than being a source of
weakness, may be one of the strengths of the movement.
Although scattered and fragmented, the Indian women's
movement, according to Butalia, is strong and
plural. To read the article:
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/india1-cn.htm 4. Social Movements, Feminist
Movements and the State: A Regional Perspective This paper offers a regional
perspective on social movements, feminist movements, and
the state, addressing the diversity of South Asia and the
specific social movements in the region. It alsolooks at
the issues of the "state'"and particularly the
post-colonial State in South Asia. It looks at the impact
of larger social movements, women's social position,
international processes and policies, and issues of peace
and conflict on the South Asian feminist movements over
the span of the past 50 years. For a copy of the article:
http://www.isiswomen.org/pub/wia/wia2-04/sunila.htm 5. In Search of an Alternative:
Feminist Proposals from Latin America This article is taken from five
presentations given at the Association for Womenís
Rights in Development (AWID) by members of the Feminist
Initiative of Cartagena (IFC). Its main goals are to
suggest that there is a Southern, and specifically Latin
American, vision of globalisation and to identify what is
needed to create a new model of development. The
presentations include: Why did the Feminist Initiative of
Cartagena start? (Alejandra Scampini, Co-ordinator, IFC,
Uruguay); Putting the IFC Proposal into Practice (Alma
Espino, Uruguay); Placing Equity at the Heart of the
Agenda on External Debt and Trade (Norma SanchÌs,
Argentina); Forming Institutions in Response to the New
Labour Relations (Rosalba Todaro, Chile); and
Macroeconomics and Macropolitics (Cecilia López
Montano, Colombia). To view the article:
http://www.awid.org/publications/gen_dev/cartagena.pdf 6. Engendering Development:
Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources and
Voice This policy research report by the
World Bank focuses on the broad economic and social
implications of gender issues in the Global South,
examining links between gender, public policy, and
development outcomes. It presents evidence demonstrating
that societies which discriminate by gender pay a high
price in terms of their ability to develop and with
regards to poverty reduction. To promote gender equality
a three-part strategy is proposed: emphasising
institutional reforms based on a foundation of equal
rights for women and men; policies for sustained economic
development; and active measures to redress persistent
gender disparities. New data and analyses are presented
and development literature extensively reviewed,
demonstrating conclusively the value of employing a
gender perspective. The report is intended as a tool for
policy makers, development specialists, and members of
civil society involved in promoting, designing and
implementing development strategies. Complete Document: http://www.worldbank.org/gender/prr/index.htm 7. Gender and Empowerment:
Definitions, Approaches and Implications for Policy Though "empowerment"is frequently
referenced in international development language, the
term is often misunderstood. As womenís roles in
social and economic development are more widely accepted,
the need to "empower" women responds to the growing
recognition that women in developing countries lack
control over resources and the self-confidence and/or
opportunity to participate in decision-making processes.
This paper explains the different understandings of
empowerment and how empowerment strategies should be
designed and integrated into mainstream programmes rather
than attempted separately. Word Document: http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/Reports/R40%20Gen%20Emp%20Policy%202c.doc PDF: http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/Reports/re40c.pdf If you have friends or
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Welcome to the Women, Ink.
Booklink, the monthly e-mail bulletin on what's new in
our collection for this December. If you have
friends or colleagues who you think would find Booklink
useful, please let us know. To subscribe to Booklink,
send an e-mail to joey@womenink.org
and type the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
Before beginning, we want to
let you know that our new Women, Ink. catalogue is now
available. Featuring over 70 new books from women's
organizations and mainstream, university and small
presses worldwide, the catalogue is a "must have" for
academics and activists who want to keep current on new
thinking in the field of women, gender and development.
To receive a free copy or send a copy to a friend, send
an e-mail (if you haven't done so already) with the
mailing address to joey@iwtc.org
or write to: Women, Ink.,
c/o International Women's Tribune Centre, 777 UN Plaza,
flr 3, New York, NY 10017.
1. African Gender Studies:
A Reader
Interconnections
Striving for Justice in an Unequal World
Grassroots NGOs by Women for Women
Oyeronke Oyewumi (Ed.)
2005. 448 pages. ISBN 1-4039-6283-9. WE783.
US$26.95
Interconnections
Sunera Thobani and Tineke Hellwig (Eds)
2005. 224 pages. ISBN 0-88961-457-1. WE801.
US$24.95
Maitrayee Chaudhuri (Ed.)
2004. 360 pages. ISBN 81-88965-21-9. WE820.
US$14.40
Striving for Justice in an Unequal World
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
(UNRISD)
2005. 336 pages. ISBN 92-9085-052-3. WE814.
US$32.00
The Driving Force of Development in India
Femida Handy, Suzane Feeney, Bhagyashree Ranada and
Meenaz Kassam
2006. 236 pages. ISBN 81-78296-55-1. WE821.
US$16.20
To download the six available issues, visit:
http://www.feministafrica.org/
Susan Moller Okin, Stanford University
Urvashi Butalia, Co-founder of Kali for Women,
Indiaís first and only feminist publishing
house.
Sunila Abeysekera
Members of the Financial Initiative of
Cartagena
King, EM and Mason, AD
Oxaal, Z and Baden, S
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