UNITWIN Network: Gender, Culture, Development

Inaugural Newsletter of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender

2011-12-30T12:30:00.006-05:00

We are pleased to announce the publication of the very first newsletter of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender, produced by our partners in Cyprus and Buenos Aires and now posted at http://www.catunescomujer.org/globalnetwork/news.html
Feel free to disseminate it among your colleagues.

Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program (WGS) hosts the UNESCO/UNITWIN (University Twinning) Network on Gender, Culture, and Development, and is a founding member of the Global Network. The Co-Coordinators of the BU-based UNESCO/UNITWIN, Professor Deborah Belle and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, are delighted that this inaugural issue features a lot of the work that they and their collaborators in India, West Africa, and the Boston area have been engaged in. To read more about our Network's activities in 2011 and beyond, please see the newsletter at the link listed above.

More information on our UNITWIN Network is at http://unitwin.blogspot.com/ and equalityburkina.blogspot.com

UN Women designates BU's Brenda Gael McSweeney as its Focal Point for Women and Gender Studies

2011-12-19T18:33:00.010-05:00

UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has invited Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney of the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program to be its Women's and Gender Focal Point at Boston University.

UN Women "acts on the fundamental premise that women and girls worldwide have a right to live a life free of discrimination, violence, and poverty and that gender equality is central to achieving development." UN Women just launched its first report on the Progress of the World's Women, focusing on gender justice.

A key priority of UN Women is combating gender-based violence. The campaign titled "Say No-UNiTE to End Violence Against Women" gives everyone a chance to join this global initiative. Do visit http://saynotoviolence.org/ to add your voice.

News from Dr. Asha Mukherjee: Announcing First International Conference of 2012

2011-12-01T12:03:00.011-05:00

We wish to share with you news of an upcoming International Conference being organized and hosted by one of our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network partners, the Women's Studies Center at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. Dr. Asha Mukherjee, Director of the Center, has informed us that Professor Amartya Sen is expected to inaugurate the Conference and Professor Martha Nussbaum has agreed to deliver the keynote address. Entitled "Women's Creativity and Social Concern" this gathering will be held on January 5-7, 2012. For more information, please see the Conference's theme note below:

Photo Credit: globalshiksha.com

" International Conference: Women Creativity and Social Concern

Ashramkanya Amita Sen: 100^th birth anniversary Celebration)
5-7 Jan. 2012 (Tentative)

Women’s Studies Centre, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan

In a life span of eighty years, Rabindranath Tagore wrote two thousand five hundred poems, seven novels, composed eighteen hundred songs and a number of plays, wrote, directed and produced at least four well-known dance dramas (nritya natya/geeti natya). Over the years these dance dramas and songs have become an inalienable part of Bengali culture. As if that was not enough, in his late years, he took to painting and produced almost two thousand paintings, which are believed to be a new initiative in the world of art. A mere enumeration of these creative aspects can hardly do justice to his incredible achievements and the great contributions he made to the civilization. He took to interpretation of Religion, History and Society proposing a new concept of “India”, preaching internationalism when nations like Japan, Germany and Britain were preparing for World war. He not only proposed but also implemented significant programmes in rural reconstruction in pre-independent India. Needless to say, contribution of this magnitude is not possible without a novel foundational attitude arising out of a basic philosophical position. Over time his attitude towards Man and the World changed and so did his philosophy.

Tagore was also responsible for a revolutionary programme in education, using (mostly) his own resources, which was fundamentally different from the usual form and style of education under colonial regime. Even today, it is felt that his educational programme gives us a new insight into the very concept of education. In particular his concerns for women and society are well known. The women characters in his literary writings ranged from a house-maid to a princess, from an unfortunate mother to a woman deceived by an idea of false revolution and development propagated by a man. Chitranganda, heir to a royal family convinced herself that to be worthy of the throne she should be like a man and thereby imposed a false identity upon herself. But more paradoxical was her own attempt to be worthy of Arjuna’s love by transforming the body of a beautiful woman. Finally, she discovers that her journey was actually a journey from one false identity to another – all imposed, directly or indirectly, by the world of man. Another character Chandalika, living in the periphery as an untouchable, meets a Buddhist monk who tells her that she is as human as he is. She discovers her humanity; but also develops desire for the monk and compels her mother to use black magic to get him. However, she finds out the extreme pain the monk is going through and rediscovers her humanity, not in desire, but in renunciation!

As we have said, Tagore was not only a poet, a novelist, a composer and a painter, he was a social activist too. For all his ideas to flourish, he needed a place. And he knew that the cities could not anchor it. So, came the revolutionary idea of Santiniketan – a place which would be different from the urban myth of capitalist development ushered in by the industrial revolution and absentee landlords investing their money in cities like Kolkata which ultimately acts against the real development of humanity.

In Santiniketan, he involved a host of women who were so eager to participate and enjoy the new forms – of song, dance, plays, painting, nature, social relationship and everything Tagore thought necessary for human development. It was not only learning a few tricks but re-creating characters depicted in his plays and dance-dramas. The women of ashram and ashramkanyas achieved exceptional feats in staging the dance dramas and creating unique styles in singing. In fact, Tagore put a heavy demand on our women. In 1936, he was hoping for a new beginning of civilization and strongly believed that women’s role is absolutely essential. He expected that women would get rid of their conservative attitude, open their heart, sharpen their intelligence and invest all their resources in the pursuit of knowledge and experience. In his opinion, uncritical conservative attitude is against the creative spirit. He was unequivocal in claiming that if the women wish to participate in this transition, they will have to rise above the age-old inertia and all sorts of imaginary fear to make themselves worthy of the new beginning of civilization.

At his insistence women of the ashram not only actively participated in all the activities of ashram but also enrolled themselves in different courses in Kala-Bhavan, Sangit-Bhavana and many of them excelled in their pursuits. Kiranbala Devi, wife of Kshitimohun Sen enrolled in Kala-Bhavana and being invited by Nandalal Bose, actually did a sculpture on the wall of Shyamali. Nandalal’s wife, Sudhira Devi, initiated creation of a style of ornaments mostly using natural ingredients – different flowers, leaves etc. Others like Gouri Bhanja, Jamuna Devi created a style of alpana, batik and other forms using indigenous style. In the process these indigenous forms were raised to the level of art. This creative spirit was continuously translated into a programme of social development through the programme of Rural Reconstruction Tagore started in Sriniketan.

It is this program in which Ashramkanya Smt. Amita Sen participated actively throughout her life. When she was two and a half years old she had drawn Tagore’s attention so much that he wrote a song on her activities and since then she remained an integral part of Santiniketan Ashram. Her whole life can be seen as dedication to humanity and “development” in Tagorean sense. She was an integral part of Tagore’s experiments and she carried the mission forward as long as she was alive. She was the editor of a handwritten magazine “Gurupalli” when she was a student and later of Sreyasi - the feminist magazine started in early nineties. She was the lead dancer in a number of productions in Santiniketan and Kolkata. She was Sampadika (Secretary) of Ashmrik Sangha and became a member of Visva-Bharati Court for two terms. She was trained in lathi khela, chura khela and Judo. As a woman she never felt any inhibition and made contribution in every aspect of life- dance, literature, writing, social and cultural activities and provided personal care to the sick, old and needy. Her house was a home to many, especially to those who came from outside. Through her collection of essays and memoirs Anando Sarbo Kaaje, Santiniketane Ashramkanya, Chole Jay Din and Shirish Bakul Amer Mukul, we find the rich cultural history of Santiniketan interwoven into life stories and interesting incidents. It is well-known that three santhal villages on the west of Santiniketan were part of the Santiniketan Society. Amita had very intimate relation with the villagers and would always stand by them in their need. She truly believed that ‘serving humanity is the true service’. The conference would be dedicated to her memory to celebrate her 100^th birth anniversary.

The objective of the proposed conference is to discuss various aspects of women's creativity, participation in social life, Tagore’s school and the role of women and Tagore’s views on Development and provide participants a platform to critically examine these ideas and their relevance today as well as to provide with the tools and skills required for understanding and mainstreaming gender. The conference intends to focus on social construction of gender in the Indian context by analyzing the various institutions such as education, household, community, market, and the state and to help to evolve perspectives on development and strategies to counter the inter-linked forces of caste, class and patriarchy. It will also examine the impact of mainstream development and globalization processes on women, particularly from the marginalized sections in our society. Tagore realized from his own experience of the villagers’ attitudes and their social behavior that strength can be generated only in a self-reliant village society developing its own locus of power and its own momentum of growth and charity would not lead to the empowerment of people and thus, education is necessary.

Tentative Sessions:

Inauguration: Professor Amartya Sen

Remembering Smt. Amita Sen: Opening with special plenary lecture by Professor Martha Nussbaum

Tagore on Women's Creativity

Women and Nature

Tagore’s School and Role of Women

Women and Development

Women and other Social Concerns

Tentative List of Participants:

1. Professor Martha Nussbaum

2. Professor Amartya Sen

3. Professor Nabanita DebSen

4. Professor Jashodhara Bagchi,

5. Professor Malini Bhattacharya

6. Professor Supriya Choudhury, Jadavpur University

7. Professor Shefali Moitra, Formerly of Jadavpur University

8. Professor Tanika Sarkar, JNU

9. Professor Tista Bagchi, Delhi University

10. Professor Uma Dasgupta, ISI, Kolkata

11. Professor Sutapa Bhattacharya, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

12. Professor Roop Rekha Varma, Former VC, Lucknow University

13. Professor Rakesh Chandra, Director, WS. Lucknow University

14. Professor Somendranath Bandhyopadhyay, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

15. Professor Alpana Roy, Visva-Bharati

16. Professor Santa Bhattacharyya, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

17. Sri Somsankar Dasgupta, Santiniketan

18. Smt. Subhra Tagore, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

19. Sri Supriyo Tagore, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

20. Smt. Antara Sen, Pratichi Trust

21. Smt. Ratnamala Roy, Santiniketan

22. Smt. Kaberi Sen, Santiniketan

23. Sri Nitai Basu, Santiniketan

24. Dr. Santa Bhanu Sen, Santiniketan

25. Sri Shiv Sen, Vidyasagar College, Suri

26. Smt. Mira Roy, Santiniketan

27. Sri Nilanjan Banerjee, Rabindra Bhavana, Visva-Bharati

28. Sri Aurobindo Nandi, Pratichi Trust

29. Dr. Mallanath Mukherjee, Santiniketan

30. Smt. Sumana Roy, Formerly of Visva-Bharati

31. Sri Amit Sen, Santiniketan

32. Sri Aurobindo Roy, Santiniketan

33. Smt. Piyali Sen, Santiniketan

34. Sri Subir Banerjee, Santiniketan"

Lives without Rights by Jharna Panda

2011-11-14T14:43:00.003-05:00

We are pleased to announce that Jharna Panda, one of our UNITWIN-affiliated researchers in India, has written an article calling attention to the livelihoods of women in the Sundarban region in West Bengal. Below is the abstract of Jharna's powerful paper.

"Lives without Rights" by Jharna Panda: Abstract

'Any sympathetic discussion with the women of the Sundarban region (the famous archipelago in the southern fringe of the Gangetic delta in eastern India known for its mangrove forest and Royal Bengal tigers) will reveal the stark realities about their abysmal health standards and the widely prevalent reproductive health problems in spite of a plethora of public health programmes. For example, a large number of women suffer from genital prolapse while they are still in the third decade of their lives.

Most of them are working women from landless or marginal peasant families and because of their very social position, they have to simultaneously bear the burden of a failing agrarian economy and the weight of an oppressively discriminatory social tradition. Hence, these women can be regarded as living testimonies of the process whereby social and livelihood practices frustrate the dream of empowerment to the extent that village women are not in a position to decide upon matters related to their individual selves, let alone to social affairs.

Though to a significant extent their appalling health standards can be traced back to the poor material - including economic - condition of their living, this is clearly also a function of their position as women in a social milieu which is a heady mix of patriarchal domination, archaic traditions and entrenched taboos. The average woman has to follow the extant rituals and practices regarding child birth, birth control, and child health. Even the health workers, when they are present, fail to make much headway with their repertoire of scientific health awareness programmes because the women whose health is at stake are not supposed to make a choice.

The story is complex, yet revealing. It reveals the interrelated nature of the issues of empowerment and economy, health and social practice, reproductive health and productive activities.'

To see the full text of Jharna's work called "Lives without Rights" please visit http://www.catunescomujer.org/globalnetwork/publications.html

Researcher Jharna Panda shared her firsthand experience living and working in the Sundarban Region in West Bengal, at Visva-Bharati's International Conference on Women after Independence.

Just Published!

2011-11-02T21:09:00.030-04:00

Visiting Scholar Smitha Radhakrishnan of Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program, the hub of our UNITWIN Network, has just had her book Appropriately Indian published.

‘Appropriately Indian is an ethnographic analysis of the class of information technology professionals at the symbolic helm of globalizing India. Comprising a small but prestigious segment of India’s labor force, these transnational knowledge workers dominate the country’s economic and cultural scene, as do their notions of what it means to be Indian. Drawing on the stories of Indian professionals in Mumbai, Bangalore, Silicon Valley, and South Africa, Smitha Radhakrishnan explains how these high-tech workers create a “global Indianness” by transforming the diversity of Indian cultural practices into a generic, mobile set of “Indian” norms. Female information technology professionals are particularly influential. By reconfiguring notions of respectable femininity and the “good” Indian family, they are reshaping ideas about what it means to be Indian.’
Read more at http://www.appropriatelyindian.com/

You can find Smitha's Boston Univeristy bio at http://www.bu.edu/wgs/community/womens-studies-family/visiting-scholars/

Niraja Gopal Jayal, Professor at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and an affiliate of our UNITWIN Network, has recently had her article "The Transformation of Citizenship in India in the 1990s and Beyond" published in a peer-reviewed collection on the political economy of 21st century India.

'This paper discusses how the three central transformations of the 1990s – Hindu nationalism, backward caste mobilization and economic reform – have shaped practices of citizenship in India in recent times. Women enter this story in three ways: lower middle class women experience a new feeling of freedom by being able to enter the market; women experience social empowerment through their participation in and leadership of panchayats; but, as victims of sex-selective abortion, they are also disadvantaged in practices of biological citizenship. The article is published in the volume titled "Understanding India's New Political Economy: A Great Transformation?”, Sanjay Ruparelia, et al. eds. (Routledge, London, 2011)'. -Niraja Gopal Jayal

You can find Niraja's bio at: http://www.jnu.ac.in/Faculty/ngjayal/Address.html

JMI's International Seminar: In Pictures

2011-10-20T16:02:00.014-04:00

We are pleased to announce that our colleagues at Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi have provided us with a terrific visual portrayal of the most recent UNITWIN International Seminar hosted at Jamia. To see the entire collection of photos, please click here.

Seminar organizer, Dr. Arvinder Ansari of Jamia, has also just shared with us that the thirty-five papers presented in the seminar are due to be made into a UNESCO Reference Document by early next year. We of the Boston University-based UNITWIN are most excited about this recent news and join our friends at Jamia Millia Islamia in expressing our deep gratitude to Mr. Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University. His help and unwavering support helped to make possible this inaugural event of the second phase of our UNITWIN Network. The two-day gathering on "Gender, Violence and Development: The South Asian Experiences" marked another "first," as the first International Seminar organized by the Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia. It was well attended by scholars and students, and deemed "a big hit"!

Chandana Dey Reporting Live from Jamia on the UNITWIN International Seminar!

2011-10-17T15:16:00.010-04:00

Dear Brenda,

Was just settling down to write to you. Today's Seminar was an unqualified success! Everyone was really happy at the variety of presentations and the two halls were packed with students and faculty, right to the end- even though the Session went on for about half an hour longer than scheduled.

The UNESCO delegate gave a very fulsome description of the UNITWIN initiative- and lots of very nice things were said about the Boston-based team- quite deservedly.YOU WERE GREATLY MISSED. Arvinder did a sterling job!

Seminar organizer Dr. Arvinder Ansari of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

There were many presentations from all sorts of places in India- and from outside too; a very intellectual delegate from Colombo who decided to "de-construct" the definitions of "empowerment and development". We will be hearing from Dr. Imtiaz tomorrow.

There are several male delegates here and a couple of very interesting papers looking at "masculinities". Kamla Bhasin (author and social activist) gave a stirring call to ditch patriarchy, which she said was squeezing the "humanity" out of all the men- here in the room and elsewhere.

My own presentation on empowerment and development from the grassroots perspective went off quite well. Tomorrow, I'm chairing! UNITWIN was well represented by Malkit (Professor Malkit Kaur of Punjabi University at Patiala) and also JMI's Dr. Savya Saachi; Asha (Professor Asha Mukerjee of Visva-Bharati) will be able to come tomorrow.

Dr. Savya Saachi, a founder of our UNITWIN Network

More tomorrow!

Chandana

(Chandana Dey, Co-Founder of the Bhab Initiative of West Bengal and a founding member of the UNITWIN on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development)

_________________________

Day Two:

Day 2 was really an emotional day- as we heard first-hand accounts of state-induced violence against women in neighbouring countries- the Hudoot in Pakistan and the fatwas in Bangladesh- and although we were told to leave "emotions" outside the door- it was difficult. It occurred to me that perhaps a Conference of this kind could only be held in India.

Chandana Dey

There were also stories of hope: for example, how the police approached the Social Department of Jamia Millia to sensitize them on the topic of domestic violence and, in particular, understand the ramifications of the Domestic Violence act; how women activists working with women's organizations are finding the courage to act as "change agents" in their personal lives; how men working on women's issues are re-evaluating their own masculinity and the way they have been brought up.

I was really impressed at the level of scholarship displayed by the young scholars who showed both intellectual rigour and chose topics that had a humanist relevance- and which the UNESCO delegate, Dr. Huma Massod, hopes will make it into working papers for May 2012. Huma says she's had the good fortune of working with you and hopes to really take this UNITWIN initiative to ever greater heights. I think, too, that Arvinder achieved such a high benchmark with the themes, variety of papers, the level of interaction, and the extremely warm atmosphere for all who participated. I'm sure the other UNITWIN partners will now be doubly inspired.

Picture courtesy of Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Directory

I also had the good fortune to meet several "gurus"- Kamla Bhasin, Mary John, and such big names such as Imtiaz Ahmed. To have so many "eminent personalities" interacting, under one roof, with scholars and students alike on an equal footing: what better example of building a new world where hierarchies will dissolve and where we can think out of the box? We heard about the 'paradigm of patriarchy" from a Sociologist/feminist man, who's now working to build shelters for the homeless women in Delhi. The ex-Head of the Sociology department of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Dr. Oomen, spoke about the need to eradicate not just "structural and physical violence" but also what he termed "symbolic violence"- verbal abuse of women inside the home. We also heard the repeated demand that participants in the development process stop and think about the root causes of violence- those that are separate from issues of equity and justice; namely, if one achieves more egalitarian economic relations, this does not necessarily impinge on social relations and improve gender balances- or stop the violence inflicted on women.

What better example of active participation than Dr. Mohini Anjum, who used to head the Sociology department of Jamia, and had many students among the faculty today- and who chose to come all the way from Ghaziabad to attend the Seminar.

Chandana

UNITWIN Colleagues Visit Boston University's Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

2011-08-29T13:14:00.002-04:00

We are pleased to share with you news of a recent visit from two of our UNITWIN colleagues in West Bengal. Social activists Chandana and Nandini Dey spent a day with the Boston branch of our UNITWIN Network at Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program. Welcoming the visitors were Program Head Deborah Belle, UNITWIN Network Initiator Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, Program Coordinator Carly Pack-Bailey, Visiting Scholar Smitha Radhakrishnan, and Teaching Assistant Katherine Lochery. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to hear about some of the great work that Chandana and Nandini are doing in their native India, particularly in the areas of rural women's education and livelihoods and the Right to Information movement of MKSS (MAZDOOR KISAN SHAKTI SANGATHAN - a non-party People's Organization engaged in the political process in India) spearheaded by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, and Shanker Singh.

Right to left: Professor Deborah Belle, Visiting Scholar Smitha Radhakrishnan, Chandana Dey, Nandini Dey, Carly Pack-Bailey, and Katherine Lochery

Program Coordinator Carly Pack-Bailey and Nandini Dey speaking of the Right to Information campaign in India

For more pictures of the visit of our UNITWIN partners, please visit our flikr site:

India's Pratichi Institute Launches New Website

2011-08-26T10:13:00.011-04:00

We were just advised by Kumar Rana of our UNITWIN Network that the Pratichi Institute of West Bengal has launched its website. Established and sponsored by the Pratichi (India) Trust, with Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen as its Chairman, the Pratichi Institute is committed to ‘research for action'. Through this research and the public action it inspires, Pratichi aims to "enhance human capabilities, expand social opportunities, and enliven people’s agency to improve their own well-being, as well as to make a difference in other people’s lives."

You can learn more about Pratichi and the work the Institute is doing in India by visiting: http://www.pratichi.org/

International Seminar & Call for Papers

2011-07-28T17:00:00.026-04:00

We are pleased to announce an upcoming International Seminar being organized by Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, one of our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network partners. Please see below the organizers' seminar concept note and call for papers. Do submit your abstracts as soon as possible.

"International Seminar on Gender, Violence, and Development: The South Asian Experiences

12-13 October, 2011 - New Delhi

Organized by Dept. of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia in collaboration with UNESCO/UNITWIN and Indian Council of Social Science Research

In 2001, the United Nations adopted its Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. Goal 3 states to promote gender equality and empower women. Various states have formulated policies to promote gender equality and to bridge the gender divide. In no society women are treated equally to men. From childhood through adulthood they are abused because of their gender. In many parts of the world women and girls are fed less than men and boys, have fewer opportunities to secure an economic livelihood not because they are less capable but the societal structure is such. They receive less education; have no access to proper healthcare which increases their vulnerability.

South Asian region shares a rich culture and reflects multiculturalism, intermingling of various religions and ethnicities. Most of the countries in South Asia suffer from widespread gender inequalities and violence against women. These violence are multi-causal. The social structure and institutions of society, widespread militarization of the region and armed conflicts, neo-liberal economic reforms are some of the major players in the violence against women. Gender equality is a contentious issue of debate in countries where culture and religion feature prominently as regulating factors in social conduct. Culture and religion represent the two important bases for social systems and rules. What is more disturbing is that these structural elements have given rise to some of the worst forms of violence against women in the region. Traditional feudal and patriarchal social relations play pivotal role in most of the South Asian countries in defining the relation between man and woman. Man is the centrifugal force through which all other forms of power are articulated. Individuality of a woman is either ignored or suppressed. This is quite evident in the South Asian context in the manner in which fundamentalists are reasserting notions of masculinity and femininity, as well as chastity and modesty. The religious and ethnic identities are centrally constructed around the roles of women in order to protect the power and privilege of men, particularly of the dominant castes and classes. The oppression which a dalit women faces may be starkly different from the oppression experienced by a westernized women. It is patriarchy, along with class and culture, which defines, determines, and enforce the relations between men and women in family and in society.

South Asia is one of the most militarized regions in the world. Conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan have attracted global attention.Parts of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal have experienced long-running conflicts. It is a common knowledge that women, especially poor women, suffer most due to wars and conflicts. The impact of conflict on women is highly complex and varies widely in terms of cultural and political contexts. Studies reveal that sexual violence is the most common form of violence perpetrated against women during wars and conflicts. Targeting the women of ‘other’ involves rape, torture, and murder. Various UN security reports show that 90% of war causalities are civilians and amongst them majority are women, children and old people. Entire communities suffer from the consequences of war but women and girls are particularly affected because of the status that they are granted in our society. During the time of conflict their bodies become markers of their religion/ethnicity/caste and gender, a battleground. They are raped, forced to undergo sterilization, other forms of violence include sexual slavery, forced pregnancy & are forced into prostitution. After war, many women are left as widows and single parents. They need help to continue their lives, special support to rebuild their house and job training to support their families. Available data shows an increasing number of female-headed households in Sri Lanka among certain occupational categories.

While global economic integration has provided new opportunities for some poor women, overall it is further impoverishing millions of already poor people, and is creating new pockets of poverty. The ILO Report (2009) on Global Employment Trends for Women observes that for women access to decent work is limited and are forced to move into more vulnerable jobs. In South Asia, women, out of sheer economic necessity and to meet the high cost of living, cutting across caste, community and religious lines, enter the labour market in a thousand ways which are still to be recognised a economic activity by the government. Available statistics reveal that the work participation rate of women is low which makes them dependent on the male members of the family which contributes to the perpetuation of violence against them. Development, without the involvement of half of its population, is impossible to achieve for any country. Millenium Development Goals Report 2010 (released in June 2010) observes “Gender equality and the empowerment of women are at the heart of the MDGs and are preconditions for overcoming poverty, hunger and disease. But progress has been sluggish on all fronts- from education to access to political decision making.” Women are discriminated against men in health, education and labour market. Countries with high gender inequality also experience unequal distribution of human development. Woman should not be looked upon as merely a creature to complete their male counterpart. They should be considered as agents of change and central to the process of bringing education, development and prosperity to all. The seminar is an attempt to look into the various forms, contexts, and nature of violence against women in the light of the challenges to development that it poses. Papers can fit into the following sub-themes:

(1) Gender, Violence, and Development
a. Displacement
b. Forced labour
c. Feminization of Labour
d. Trafficking
e. Gender and Environment

(2) Cultural Violence
a. Institutional Violence
b. Domestic Violence
c. Honour Crimes
d. Fundamentalism

(3) Armed Conflict and Militarization
a. Gender and Conflict
b. Case Studies from South Asia
c. Women after War

(4) Social Responses to Violence Against Women
a. Legislation
b. Women’s Movement
c. NGO’s and Civil Society

Other issues can also be suggested but it should be in the context of gender, violence, and
development. Preference will be given to empirical based research. All proposals should meet the following criteria:

a. 300-400 word abstract of the paper by August 10, 2011.
b. Brief bio-note with email and complete postal address.
c. Indicate the theme of your paper.

Please send your abstracts or questions to: arvinder2009@gmail.com OR imtiaz.ahmad01@gmail.com"

Recognition of Women's Contributions goes Global!

2011-07-26T17:43:00.010-04:00

This month, scholars and social activists across India are beginning to pull together their thinking and research on the contributions of representative Indian women to public service, education, literature, and the arts. This work is to be compiled into a "Women of Vision: India" publication.

This initiative follows on similar work in Burkina Faso (read more here).

The pioneer work in this Women of Vision series took place in the Boston neighborhood of Brighton-Allston. Recently, the Brighton Allston Historical Society hosted the 3rd Women's Heritage Trail Tour to recognize and publicize 15 remarkable, local women and women's organizations.

For more on this Women's Heritage series, see the BAHS publications: "Women's History Initiatives: Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development" (Ed. Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney) and "Women of Vision: Brighton-Allston Women's Heritage Trail Guide" (Co-Eds. Dr. William P. Marchione and Dr. Linda Mishkin)

Historical Society Promotes Recognition of Brighton Novelist's Achievements

On Saturday, July 9, 2011, The Brighton-Allston Historical Society celebrated the 200th birthday of author Fanny Fern. Fanny Fern was one of the country's most famous 19th century writers and the first woman columnist in the United States. Fanny was the highest paid newspaper writer of her time, earning $100 a column in 1855. At the height of her career, in the 1850s and 1860s, her columns reached over a half million readers weekly.

From left to right: Quiz Contest Guest, Dick Marques BAHS Board of Directors, BAHS Visitor-Kevin, Peg Collins-BAHS President, and John Stenson-Master of Ceremonies

A history quiz game on Fanny Fern and other notable Brighton women was the highlight of the celebratory event.

For more photos, please visit the flikr site

News from The Women's Studies Centre at Visva-Bharati

2011-07-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

We wish to share with you that The Women's Studies Centre at Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan recently released its Annual Report for 2010-2011 (from April 2010 to March 2011). The report includes a section on their extension activities and in particular, mentions several projects carried out in local villages:

"A number of meetings with the members of self help groups (SHGs) and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) representatives from Islampur, Basapara, Halsidanga, Mollarpur, Lavhpur, Govindapur, Ahmedpur, Ilambazar jungle (tribal villages) and other villages near Santiniketan, Birbhum, and panchayat (local government) representatives were organized during April, 2010 – March, 2011 by the Director, Women's Studies Centre, Prof. Asha Mukherjee [at left above] and the Research Assistants of WSC. The purpose was to identify and monitor the village problems and issues which can be taken up for empowerment through training, workshops to be organized by WSC, and also to inform them about WSC's activities and its role in the extension activities for women and the girl child."

For more pictures of village workshops and related Women's Studies Centre seminars, please see the flikr set here

Coordinator of the Global Network on Gender to Participate in International Conference

2011-05-27T11:50:00.007-04:00

Gloria Bonder, Coordinator of the new Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender has been invited by the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, to the International Women Leaders Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation: Education and Training for Women and Girls, taking place from 29 May to 3 June 2011 in Haifa, Israel. Our UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development is a founding member of the Global Network, and on its Advisory Board.

The Haifa Conference will bring together 50 women leaders from all regions of the world, and will provide a great opportunity to present the Global Network!

Breaking News: Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender

2011-05-18T11:27:00.003-04:00

The Boston-based UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development is thrilled to announce that Co-Coordinators Professor Deborah Belle and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney just learned that our Network has been invited to represent North America on the newly-created Advisory Board of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender!

We of the UNITWIN (university twinning) Network are honored and thrilled to carry the voices of our many University and NGO Partners and colleagues in India, Burkina Faso, and Boston to this prestigious international board, with leading academics and feminists, and to advise other UNESCO Chairs and Networks concerned with gender equality and women's empowerment worldwide.

The Advisory Board has quarterly 'phone-conference' meetings as the Global Network is based in Buenos Aires. We are excited to share our UNITWIN Network's initiatives and achievements, as well as our work at Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program and the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, with these colleagues from around the globe, and will be keen to share ideas and projects we learn about through this Board.

Thanks for everyone's vibrant participation!

Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales - Sede Académica Argentina

that hosts the UNESCO Chair on "Gender, Sciences and Technology"

The Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender: Background and Objectives

2011-04-15T18:10:00.000-04:00

The Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender was created collaboratively in 2010 by UNESCO Paris and the Argentina-based UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology. Launched during the International Conference "Gender Equity Policies-A Prospective View: New Scenarios, Actors, and Articulations," which took place 9-12 November 2010 in Buenos Aires, the Network brings together 12 UNESCO Chairs currently developing gender research, training, and advocacy in a variety of fields around the world. Universities, research centers, NGOs, foundations, and international organizations working on gender equality are also invited to join the Network.

The Network follows the strategic orientations of the UNITWIN Programme adopted by UNESCO's Executive Board at its 176th session in April 2007. Since the adoption of these new orientations, emphasis has been placed on:

-The dual function of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks as "think tanks" and "bridge builders" between the academic world, civil society, local communities, and policy making;
-Readjustment of a geographic imbalance which is now in favour of the North;
-Stimulation of triangular North-South-South cooperation;
-The creation of regional or sub-regional poles of innovation and excellence;
-Closer cooperation with the United Nations University (UNU).

The Network is also aligned with UNESCO's priorities as expressed in the Medium Term Strategy for 2008-2013 as well as with the UNESCO Priority Gender Equality Action Plan 2008-2013. As an international platform, the Global Network aims to increase interdisciplinary exchange for the creation of new knowledge and innovative policies and practices.

"Microfinance: Does it Work?" Panel Discussion

2011-03-17T18:15:00.007-04:00

We are pleased to share with you that on March 10, 2011, GaIDI (Gender and International Development Initiatives) of the Women’s Studies Research Center, hosted at Brandeis University a panel discussion titled “Microfinance: Does it Work?” A first time co-sponsor with WSRC was Boston University’s Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program (WGS).
The specialist panel consisted of Roy Jacobowitz, managing director of External Affairs for ACCION International; Janina Matuszeski, research coordinator in the Community Finance Department of Oxfam America; Marcia O’Dell, former director of WORTH-a woman’s program launched in ten countries in Asia and Africa; Kim Wilson, lecturer at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Fellow, Center for Emerging Market Enterprises and the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University; and Steve Atlas, independent filmmaker and social justice advocate.

Beginning with Jacobowitz, each panelist presented their respective views on microfinance and the variety of ways in which the concept of lending money to the world’s poorest could be used to help alleviate poverty around the globe. For his part, before delving into the heart of his presentation on microfinance and ACCION’s work, Jacobowitz first defined microfinance as “the provision of a broad range of financial services ranging from short-term working capital in a group, through individual lending, through long-term housing finance, through savings, through time deposits, payment systems, insurance, annuities, the full range of financial products, and services that the poor household needs in order to manage their financial lives and accumulate assets.” Jacobowitz went on to posit that, while microfinance may not lead to marked macroeconomic development, granting the poor access to an array of financial services will serve to improve the lives led by the world’s poor. He explained that microfinance will “help develop the demand for goods and services because people will have the capacity to pay and, therefore, even if the random control trial researchers can’t find poverty alleviation results in their short term studies-even though they can’t find it today … I think we’ve all agreed that the poor will enjoy a better quality of life if they can access these basic financial services that we’re talking about.”

Roy then introduced two film clips by award-winning director Steve Atlas, titled “A Better Life” and “Still Here”. While the first introduced ACCION and its mission, the second captured a visit by ACCION CEO Maria Otero to Mibanco clients in Lima, Peru.

While Jacobowitz focused primarily on the subject of microfinance and how it functions in bettering the plight of the poor, the remaining three panelists anchored their presentations in the concept of micro-savings. The first to pursue the idea of savings groups was Kim Wilson. According to Wilson, motivation lies at the heart of the success of savings groups over lending institutions. Instead of relying on external lenders, women in many poor communities come together and form savings groups. Each week, members of the group contribute a small amount of money that the women in the group can later draw from when they need to. Wilson explained that when she spoke to some of the groups’ members, they shared with her that “again and again [my] group gives me the discipline. My group gives me the confidence that I can sacrifice, I can pull this money together.” Promoting savings groups over the idea of outside financial lending institutions, Wilson asserted that unlike savings groups, a bank is not going to provide what she deems to be the strength at the core of the microsavings idea: motivation.

Complementing Wilson’s endorsement of savings groups, Janina Matuszeski of Oxfam also spoke in support of microsavings. Using a chart to illustrate the differences between microsavings and microcredit, Matuszeski explained that while microcredit is facilitated by an outside lending institution and is often contingent on funds being used to start up a business, microsavings allows the funds to be used for consumption and is reliant on the group members themselves over an external lender. She also shared her hands-on empirical findings of the flourishing of women’s microsavings groups in Mali. Matuszeski closed by emphasizing that the savings model allows women to bring funds into the household as added income and in turn assists them in gaining the respect and attention of their husbands.

Completing the panel’s discussion, Marcia Odell energetically presented on behalf of microsavings. Highlighting the central reason to endorse savings groups, Odell said “In the savings-led model who are the bankers? The people in the group, so where does the interest on all that lending go? … It stays with the people in the community and that is a huge difference [between that and the ACCION concept].” Rounding out her talk, Odell stressed the social solidarity and unity that emerged amongst the groups’ female participants as result of the savings model.

WSRC Resident Scholar Brenda Gael McSweeney then introduced award-winning filmmaker Steve Atlas. After greeting the packed hall and the participants, Steve shared his film “Tipping Point” on possible ways forward for microfinance.

Then, another GaIDI organizer and WSRC Resident Scholar Mei-Mei Ellerman introduced WSRC Director Shulamit Reinharz, who kicked off a lively debate session.

Other co-sponsors with the lead organizers WSRC and BU’s WGS, were The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, and the International Business School, all at Brandeis University.
Photos: courtesy of Mei-Mei Ellerman

Visit links on Microfinance and Microsavings:

Voices from the Field: ACCION and the Power of Microfinance: 8 films by filmmaker Steve Atlas

Steve Atlas Productions: Helping non-profits across the digital divide
Contact ACCION
Link suggested by Kim Wilson and Marcia Odell on Microsavings

Just Published by UNESCO!

2011-01-21T17:22:00.005-05:00

We wish to share with you a link to the recent e-publication on UNESCO's UNITWIN website of a gender case study update in Shantiniketan, West Bengal! Brenda McSweeney, along with Krishno Dey and Chandana Dey, had an opportunity in November 2010 to visit and write on one of the nine original ‘Srihaswani’ (Creative Manual Skills for Self-Reliant Development) villages to capture the impressions of many of those, both women and men, who had participated in the program for several years. Since 2008, eight of the villages had also created a specific ‘Gender Group’ in which there were 127 girls with their mothers. Please find the full publication at:

Srihaswani: Five Years On

We now gearing up here at Boston University for the Spring Semester, and as well as our next research initiatives in Ireland, South and West Asia, and beyond.

A Letter from Yaaminey Mubayi on Livelihoods in Punjab and Orissa

2011-01-08T14:18:00.003-05:00

"Gurmeet [Rai] and I are busy with our crafts village in Amritsar- this is the one I "discovered" while doing research for another project- a settlement of traditional metal workers who had migrated from Pakistan in 1947. We are developing the area as an Endogenous Tourism destination.

I am also doing a project in coastal Orissa- Tourism as an alternative livelihood to combat the problems of overfishing of Chilika Lake, in 8 villages along the coast. The gender issue to flag here is the fact that women have lost their traditional livelihood as the sellers of the fish, now that commercial interests have reduced the fishermen to wage labour, rather than individual owners of boats and other assets. Think of the plight of widows and wives of retired fishermen, who are literally starving, no traditional safety nets for them! Am working with some Self Helf Groups to develop crafts- some excellent bamboo and golden grass weaving done by fisherwomen!

Here are a couple of photos of the region, including of an old lady who lives off temple offerings.

Cheers and Best Wishes for a marvelous year ahead."

Yaaminey

International Seminar on Gender Equality and State Intervention: Issues Ahead

2010-12-14T17:16:00.004-05:00

We are delighted to advise you of a very exciting International Seminar on Gender Equality and State Intervention: Issues Ahead that was held at Punjabi University at Patiala, Punjab, India on October 28th and 29th, 2010. This event was organized by one of our "TWINS," the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Punjabi University at Patiala with support from UNESCO/UNITWIN (Paris).

From left to right: Chandana Dey, Malkit Kaur, Nandini Dey, H.S. Bhatti, and Gurmeet Rai in a pre-Seminar strategy session

The Seminar Coordinator, Professor Malkit Kaur, and the Head of the Department, Professor Harvinder Singh Bhatti, did an amazing job in pulling together experts and practitioners, spanning generations, from across India and beyond to discuss and debate, in plenary and working sessions, promoting gender equality and women's empowerment. In all, 50 papers were presented by Faculty and Degree Candidates on a range of timely issues, including:

Gender Equality and State Intervention
Gender, Culture & Violence
Gender Gaps in Access to Health, Education and Employment
Gender Responsive Planning and Gender Budgeting
Stories of Success and Struggle: Experiences of NGOs, Researchers, Academicians and Media

The inaugural address was given by Professor Pam Rajput of Panjab University, Chandigarh; Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney of the Women's Studies Program, Boston University that anchors our UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture and Development, gave a special address as the Chief Guest; and the Punjabi University's Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Jaspal Singh, gave the Presidential Address. The Seminar participants also included our UNITWIN Network Partners Dr. Arvinder Ansari from Jamia Milia Islamia University; Gurmeet S. Rai, Director of the Culture Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI); and Chandana Dey, Co-founder of the Bhab Initiative.

The 50 substantive presentations brought out fresh insights, and we understand that a number of the papers will be finding their way into a publication. From our vantage point, and that of so many people who gave us feedback, the International Seminar was a 'smashing success', right from the substantive and moving opening ceremony, clear through to the valedictory session. The ensuing publication will doubtless constitute an insightful and important contribution to the field.

A Letter from UNESCO Paris: Soojin Min (Boston University)

2010-09-07T14:00:00.003-04:00

Soojin Min in Paris during her UNESCO HQ internship

Dear Prof. McSweeney,

Hello! This is Soojin. How are you?

It was such a great pleasure to meet you at UNESCO!

As I mentioned, I would like to share my summer internship story with you.

I completed my internship at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, at the Section for Basic Education, Literacy and Non-Formal Education in the Division for Basic Education this past summer. Assigned to a literacy team, where six other people were working, I assisted with projects related to literacy prizes and conferences. I mainly worked on the UNESCO Database on Literacy Projects and Programmes, which was a pilot project. Based on UNESCO's criteria, information and details of literacy programs run by NGOs and governments were collected for knowledge sharing.

Professor Brenda Gael McSweeney and Soojin Min, Paris

I also worked on press release documents for the International Literacy Day(ILD). Every year, on September 8th, the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize & the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy are awarded to a total of four entities that have made a difference in fighting illiteracy. Additionally two entities are honorably mentioned. The King Sejong Prize is sponsored by the Korean government and the Confucius Prize is sponsored by the Chinese government. Complying with the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) thematic calendar, the theme for this year is “Literacy and Women’s Empowerment”. The award ceremony will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on September 8, 2010. This year's recipients demonstrate the power of achieving women's literacy through their amazing programs.

During my internship, I realized that the role of international organizations in integrating and supporting education projects is something that should not be underestimated. I also learned that the best possible way to promote gender equality is through education, and I therefore believe literacy education should be the very first step towards it.

UNESCO Headquarters lobby: promoting Gender Equality

I'm attaching my pictures at UNESCO, in front of its famous statue of Giacommeti and a picture of the UNESCO lobby and another one with you at the Comptoir. And this is the link to UNESCO's literacy prizes:

http://www.unesco.org/en/literacy/literacy-prizes/

Have a wonderful semester!

Best wishes,

Soojin

Education Specialists focusing on the Girl Child/Spécialistes de l'éducation axée sur les filles

2010-08-13T11:52:00.002-04:00

Pictured below are Maria Malevri, Programme Specialist in Basic Education, Literacy, and Non-Formal Education of the Division for the Promotion of Basic Education, UNESCO, Paris (at left); with André Lokisso, President of AIED (Assistance to the Integration of Demilitarized Children). Maria was on mission in Burkina Faso in March 2010 on pressing issues of literacy and basic education. André's NGO is now also focusing on street children and other children in difficulty. Both experts give great attention to the particular challenges facing girls. Watch this space for more information!

Sur la photo on voit Maria Malevri (à gauche), Spécialiste du programme en matière d'enseignement fondamental, l'alphabétisation et l'éducation non formelle de la Division pour la promotion de l'éducation de base, UNESCO, Paris; avec André Lokisso, Président de l'AIED (Aide à l'Intégration des Enfants Démilitarisés). Maria était en mission au Burkina Faso en Mars 2010 à propos des questions urgentes d'alphabétisation et d'éducation de base. En outre, l'ONG d'André met désormais l'accent sur les enfants des rues et autres enfants en difficulté. Les deux experts accordent une grande attention aux défis particuliers que doivent affronter les jeunes filles. Visitez de nouveau cet espace pour plus d'informations!

(Translation by/traduit par Aminata Kiello)

Women’s Autobiographies in Islamic Societies: The Ultimate Unveiling?

2010-06-10T16:00:00.005-04:00

With funding secured by Dr. Siobhan Lambert-Hurley an international research network was founded in January 2010 to foster an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to women’s autobiography in Islamic societies. The group first met in Austin, Texas and assessed the source materials used by members of the group in order to consider terminology and definitions. In December 2010 the network will meet in New Delhi to discuss ‘context and construction.’ Quite simply the network will discuss who writes, why, how and for whom? The third phase will take the network to Abu Dhabi in 2011 where the topic of discussion will be the content of autobiographical narratives.

By Dr. Roberta Micallef, Women's Studies Program and Modern Foreign Languages Department, Boston University.

BU's UNITWIN and Equality Burkina Teams are on the move!

2010-06-10T15:00:00.007-04:00

Kassia Karr pictured above center, with Brenda Gael McSweeney at left and Raffi Freedman-Gurspan at right, is moving on to India in her next career avatar! Kassia will be working at Quicksand Design Studio in New Delhi. She will be a coordinator on a project supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation starting in late June 2010. So Kassia becomes part of our UNITWIN India! भारत में आपका स्वागत है Welcome to India Kassia!

'Women of Vision' Published by UNESCO, Paris!

2010-01-25T14:57:00.005-05:00

Stories of 'Women of Vision' in a Boston neighborhood, written up by members of the Women's History Group of the Brighton Allston Historical Society (BAHS), have just been published on the UNESCO website!

Some highlights:

"The Coquette" at left was the pioneer novel of Hannah Foster - the first American-born woman to write and publish a novel - and was one of the best-selling books of the eighteenth century.

"Fanny Fern", a widely read and influential American journalist of the nineteenth century, reached over a half-million readers weekly through her columns at the height of her career.

A Paul Revere Pottery catalog is pictured here, showing the 80 Nottinghill Road English-style stucco workshop in Brighton, Massachusetts, USA, in the early twentieth century. In the foreground is Lily Shapiro, an original participant in the "Saturday Evening Girls Club," decorating a soon-to-be famous Paul Revere bowl.

Photos courtesy of the Brighton-Allston Historical Society.

According to UNESCO, Paris:

"The goal of these twin publications, 'Women's History Initiatives' and 'Women of Vision: Brighton Allston Women's Heritage Trail Guide,' is to showcase the significant and compelling contributions that women have made to this New England community over the past three centuries.

These volumes capture the complementary actions of historians and researchers who focus on women's achievements, and of local activists committed to preserving these remarkable women's legacies to inspire future generations. BAHS Women's History Group members researched and hosted advocacy events over a period of six years.

The first publication documents this journey, while the second is a guide to 16 notable women and women's organizations that have enriched the life and history of this corner of Boston and beyond.

Material at the links below gives a vivid picture of the evolution of these Women's History Initiatives over time.

This body of work has also served as a catalyst for similar initiatives underway around the globe, in Burkina Faso in West Africa, and in India."

-- From the UNESCO website.

UNESCO's Division for Higher Education also plans to share the Women of Vision initiatives via its Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet). This global network groups more than 8500 educational bodies in 179 countries, ranging from pre-schools through to teacher training institutions.

Click below for direct links to the Women of Vision publications, as well as other related links on Women of Vision in Burkina Faso, the Women of Vision exhibition website, the Brighton Allston Heritage Museum blog, and the Brighton Allston Historical Society website:

Article Files:

Women's History Initiatives. Editor: Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney.

Women of Vision: Brighton Allston Women's Heritage Trail Guide by members of the Women's History Group, founded and chaired by Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney. Editors: Dr. William P. Marchione and Dr. Linda Mishkin.

Related Links:

- Gender Equality in Burkina Faso Blog
- Brighton Allston Women of Vision Exhibition Website
- Women of Vision Exhibition Flickr Photo Set
- Brighton Allston Heritage Museum Blog
- Brighton Allston Historical Society Website

The Launch of the CRCI's "Conserving Sikh Heritage" Calendar!

2010-01-23T11:59:00.001-05:00

Gursharan Kaur, CRCI Director Gurmeet Rai, and Sikh leaders at the heritage calendar launch.

Portrayed here is the launch of the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative's "Conserving Sikh Heritage" 2010 Calendar, which took place both in California, USA and in Punjab, India! These photos of the India launch show the director and founder of CRCI, Gurmeet Sangha Rai, presenting the calendar to Gursharan Kaur, wife of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mrs. Singh is also known in the Sikh community of Delhi for her kirtan singing. You can see more photos from the CRCI calendar launch on our Flickr site here.

Gursharan Kaur and the 2010 "Conserving Sikh Heritage" calendar.

From Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, currently of Boston and Brandeis Universities and former head of the United Nations in India: "Conservation architect Gurmeet S. Rai is the founder and director of the unique Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative that preserves and enhances India's cultural heritage. CRCI effectively bridges from helping forge international and national cultural heritage policy to grassroots action, notably in Punjab and other states in India... Gurmeet and the CRCI are the recipients of numerous local and global awards, and are partners in our UNESCO Chair/University Twinning Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development."

The preparation and publication of this rich heritage calendar is most timely, given that 2010 has been declared the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, for which UNESCO has a lead role.

For more information on the CRCI, you can visit their great website here.

Photos courtesy CRCI.

Announcing UNESCO's first-ever female Director General, Irina Bokova!

2009-11-30T16:55:00.001-05:00

Photo: UNESCO

We are pleased to share UNESCO's announcement of the appointment of Irina Bokova, a former Bulgarian politician and ambassador to France and Monaco, as the Director-General of UNESCO. Director-General Bokova is the first woman and the first representative of an Eastern European country to occupy this position since the founding of the Organization in 1945. DG Bokova comes to the post with over three decades of experience in the international arena. Previously, she served as Secretary of State for European Integration, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was elected a Member of Parliament in Bulgaria. She had been a Permanent Delegate of her country to UNESCO since 2005.

As the "Women's Empowerment" UNITWIN, Irina's appointment is of special excitement to us. Since one of UNESCO's two organizational priorities through until 2013 is Gender Equality, we anticipate a redoubling of the important work the Organization is carrying out in this arena!

A warm welcome and hearty congratulations to DG Bokova, from the Women's Studies Program at Boston University and from our University and NGO partners in India and Burkina Faso!

A Letter from BU Grad Yael Shapira from Southern India

2009-11-30T16:46:00.002-05:00

Dear Prof. McSweeney,

I just wanted to send a quick update from India, since I have recently been thinking about you quite often in the context of my work.

Two weeks ago I began an internship with the NGO Aide et Action (it deals with education, especially of people in the rural areas). The specific project I'm working on at this point is evaluating the implementation of inclusive education programs for children with disabilities. I just came back from a week out in the villages, in Andhra Pradesh, where I went to government schools and interviewed students, teachers, mandal leaders, and self-help groups of people with disabilities. The point was to find out if the students are actually being included in the mainstream education and if they are still facing any discrimination. My findings were really fascinating.

With a self-help group for disabled people.

"Inclusive Education" is one of the methods of implementing the "education for all" law here in India. With regards to children with disabilities, it entails getting children out of their houses, work, or special education schools and including them into mainstream classrooms. It is an approach that requires the school to adapt to the child's needs, rather than an integration approach in which the child has to adapt to the rest of the class.

After going out into the villages and conducting many interviews, I found that the children with disabilities have indeed been identified and taken out of their homes to attend the mainstream schools. Awareness has been created by NGOs to rid of superstitions and discrimination. As a first step that is very important. However, these children are merely being integrated and their special needs are not being taken care of in order for them to get a real education and to achieve their rights.

With a classroom that has children with disabilities.

I also got to meet villagers living in a temporary tent community because their village and crops were destroyed in recent floods. It made me realize how important disaster relief work is, and I am pretty sure that I am going to focus on that in my future studies.

I want to let you know that I felt as if everything I learned in the Gender and International Development class came to life right in front of me. It was such an incredible experience to actually be out in the field and talking to people about their experiences instead of just reading about them in a textbook, and I was truly inspired by so many of the people. Your class really prepared me for dealing with so many of the issues I am coming across (such as child labor, girls in school, etc.) and I would really like to thank you for that.

All the best,

Yael

UNESCO's UNITWIN Program Introduces its New Logo!

2009-11-29T17:05:00.003-05:00

Owing to the growth of the successful UNESCO Chairs/UNITWIN (University Twinning) program under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Sonia Bahri, the program has now been accorded its own logo!

Pictured below is Sonia with her team on the occasion of a recent meeting in Paris with Brenda Gael McSweeney, to strategize for the future of the UNESCO UNITWIN on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development, anchored at Boston University and with prestigious partners in India and Burkina Faso. The UNITWIN poster featuring the new logo is the backdrop!

From l to r: Ariana Stahmer, Hassmik Tortian, Brenda Gael McSweeney, Sonia Bahri, Inga Nichanian, and Milena Caceres Valderrama.

Momentous News from Visva-Bharati, West Bengal!

2009-11-20T11:35:00.005-05:00

Just in from eastern India:

"Dear Dr. McSweeney,

I received a copy of your mail to Kumkum {Bhattacharya - UNITWIN Coordinator Visva-Bharati} and am happy to know the activities, plans and programs of UNITWIN. I am happy to inform you that UGC {University Grants Commission} has granted us the status of a Women's Studies Centre for which we have been trying for the last ten years as a Cell.

I have joined as Director two months back and we have taken up different plans and projects under the umbrella. We plan to have a national conference on Women and Development around March 2010 and would try to get Martha Nussbaum. Prof. Amartya Sen would also be visiting in Dec. 2009 and I wish to discuss our plans with him. We had a wonderful inauguration function as Kumkum wrote to you with paying our respects to about 30 Women in Santiniketan who have made life long contributions in various capacities to Ashrama life of
Santiniketan.

For the present we have decided to limit our activities basically within Birbhum District. I already had a meeting last month with 20 NGO's working in Birbhum for empowerment of Women. We plan to work with them beside our own programs and research.

We wish to thank you very much for all the help and look for more and more interactions.

With warm personal regards and best,

Asha Mukherjee
Director, Women's Studies Centre
Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan"

Huge congratulations to Asha and our Visva-Bharti UNITWIN Partners!

Kumkum Bhattacharya's excitement:

"One momentous piece of news - Visva-Bharati has its own Women's Studies Centre inaugurated on October 25, 2009 by Professor Jasodhara Bagchi the founding director of the Women's Studies Centre, Jadavpur University and presently the Chairperson, Women's Commission, West Bengal and Professor Sumita Sen, present Director of the Jadavpur University's Women's Studies Centre."

Indeed, thrilling news that we hope will be inspirational to other Women's Studies initiatives in India and beyond!

Newest 'TWIN'!

2009-11-09T10:22:00.005-05:00

We're thrilled to announce that West Africa has joined our Network, in the person of Mme Scholastique Kompaoré from Burkina Faso. 'Scho', currently President of the Marche Mondiale des Femmes (World March of Women - Burkina branch), is also on the Board of Directors of CUSO/VSO - Canada (Canadian University Service Overseas/Voluntary Service Overseas). She was a pioneer in the gender equality movement in Burkina, and National Coordinator of the 'UNESCO/UNDP/Government Pilot Project for Equal Access of Women and Girls to Education'. She also ran from Zimbabwe the Africa South of the Sahara UNDP/UN Volunteers Programme for Exchange of Conmmunity Field Workers for a decade.

Welcome, Scholastique!

See also our new "Equality Burkina" blog here!

Roundtable on Girls' Education in Niger and Burkina Faso with Amina Mamadou Kaza and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney

2009-10-18T15:09:00.007-04:00

On October 14th, 2009, Dr. Shahla Haeri, Director of the Women's Studies Program (WSP), and Beth Goldsmith, Director of Academic Affairs, International Programs of BU, co-hosted roundtable talks on girl's education in Niger and Burkina Faso. The invited speakers were Amina Mamadou Kaza, faculty member of BU's Niger program, and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, Visiting Faculty at BU's WSP. Amina teaches a course on Nigerien culture and society with a focus on women; she had recently been named to the post of Director of Girl's Education in the Ministry of National Education in Niger. Brenda teaches a seminar on Gender and International Development (WS348) at BU, and had run UN development programs for nearly a decade in Burkina, with a special interest in workload-lightening technologies and female education.

Amina Mamadou Kaza speaking with the BU Women's Studies students and faculty

Amina, an activist in the field of girls’ education, who oversees educational reform at the primary level, helps the students to understand the complex position of women in Nigerien Islamic culture. She shared with a filled-to-capacity crowd her insights into the challenges facing Niger, and notably women and girls. She included a devastating indictment of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. Niger figures last in the UN Development Programme's Human Development and Gender Development Indexes.

Prof. Brenda Gael McSweeney presenting on female education in Burkina.

Brenda spoke on challenges confronting women and girls in the neighboring sub-Saharan Africa country of Burkina Faso. She highlighted workloads, technology and empowerment, and an exchange of lessons with Niger. She put an accent on the enormous workloads of young girls - data revealed an average of seven hours of work a day from the ages of seven to fifteen (twice that of boys). Her work with the UN Development Programme and subsequent research over the decades has thus focused on lightening female workloads and boosting access to income generating and other opportunities. See also: Equality Burkina!

Students minoring in Women's Studies and others from across campus, including from International Relations and the Humphrey Fellows Program, jumped in on a lively exchange with Amina and Brenda, their hosts Shahla and Beth, and other participants.

For more pictures of the event, please visit our Flickr page.

Event poster by Carly Pack-Bailey.
Photos by Shahla Haeri.

Forthcoming Conference at JMI

2009-10-16T14:06:00.007-04:00

Dr. Arvinder Ansari presenting at the Visva Bharati conference, Shantiniketan, October 2008.

Dr. Arvinder Ansari has informed us that the Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India is organizing a National Seminar on "Muslim Alienation: Manifestation and Challenges," sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) on 17 and 18 November, 2009.

We look forward to sharing more information about the conference in the coming weeks!

Forthcoming Study from Dr. Yaaminey Mubayi

2009-10-16T12:37:00.006-04:00

Dr. Malkit Kaur of Punjabi University at Patiala, left, and Dr. Yaaminey Mubayi, right, at Nabha, Punjab, India in October 2008.

Dr. Yaaminey Mubayi's study, "Mapping Cultural Aspirations in Jamia Nagar," was recently completed, and will be presented at a conference in November. Yaaminey is on the Expert Committee of Government of Punjab for Development of Cultural Tourism. Watch this space!

Announcing the 2010 Sikhpoint Calendar, “Conserving Sikh Heritage” from the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI)

2009-10-16T12:20:00.005-04:00

Conservation Architect Gurmeet S. Rai at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India, October 2008

"Conservation Architect Gurmeet S. Rai is the Founder and Director of the unique Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative that preserves and enhances India’s cultural heritage. CRCI effectively bridges from helping forge international and national cultural heritage policy to grassroots action, notably in Punjab and other states of India. Gurmeet is also the initiator of the Lime Centre, which works to revitalize communities through cultural heritage projects and develops inventories and cost-effective appropriate technologies. She believes strongly that conservation is a vital part of development, not, as often perceived, a peripheral activity. In addition, Gurmeet works with the United Nations World Tourism Organization as the Cultural Heritage Specialist, spearheading the master plan for tourism in Punjab. Gurmeet and the CRCI are the recipients of numerous prestigious global and local awards, and are partners in our UNESCO Chair/University Twinning Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development."

- Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney

A preview of the 2010 CRCI Sikhpoint Calendar, "Conserving Sikh Heritage" being launched in Los Angeles in November 2009:

Kumar Rana on "Home Task"

2009-10-16T12:17:00.003-04:00

Kumar Rana at the Pratichi Trust Annual Symposium, Shantiniketan, August 2009

'' 'Home Task' is the required period of intensive study time at home for primary school-aged children in India. As far as I know, India is the only nation in the world that mandates that her primary-aged school children must engage in extensive amounts of time devoted to their studies outside of the classroom setting. Here in West Bengal, as in most Indian states, this mandatory requirement is routinely adhered to.

Sadly, the lack of proper 'Home Task' facilitation for poorer students throughout India is one of serious concern, leading to huge disparities between the social classes. Students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are unable to receive assistance 'memorizing their textbooks' and doing other exercises because their families are unable to afford private tutoring, in stark contrast to their wealthier peers whose parents can afford such expenditures.

This constrained context for economically disadvantaged children produces a clear case of class division that can only be eradicated through radical and systemic change. This change must include a major overhaul in the curriculum and syllabus of primary school education in India that will close disparities between rich and poor students. We intend to publish a study and recommendations in December, with the formal assistance and release by Professor Sen, to address this most serious disparity facing the economically disadvantaged children of India."

- Kumar Rana

Amartya Sen at the Pratichi Trust Annual Workshop on "Syllabus, Teaching, and Learning and Mid-Day Meal," Shantiniketan, 2-3 August 2009

2009-10-16T11:00:00.015-04:00

Prof. Amartya Sen speaking at the Pratichi Trust Workshop

From Kumar Rana, Pratichi Trust:

"The Pratichi Annual Workshop on "Syllabus, Teaching and Learning and Mid-Day Meal" was held at Shantiniketan on 2-3 August, 2009. It's an event that the Pratichi Trust has been organizing since 2002, and Professor Sen has been one of the most consistent participants at this meeting. It's a platform where parents, teachers and others including policy-level people, academics, and activists interact. At the last meeting, 60 participants spoke, and of them 45 were parents and teachers. As a general rule, meetings are addressed by "big people" to be heard by the "small" ones; but our meeting turned the table around. Also, we took another radical decision - all of the four sessions were chaired by teachers and the general public, and the male/female ratio of the chairpersons was exactly 50-50."

Recurring themes:

1. The preparation of the syllabus, training modules and textbooks needs to be decentralized. Teachers have to be incorporated into this process.

2. The syllbus should be so prepared that the conception of 'home task' at the primary level - found no where in the world except the subcontinent - be abolished, without making some immediate systemic changes.
3. The mid-day meal has not yet been univerlized; this must be completed on urgent basis. Also, problems in the programme - supply, allocation, operation - need to be eradicated. The transparency mechanism that was in place in its initial days has to be brought back with added vigour.

Recap:

The Workshop "focused on the syllabus at the primary level and its connection with teaching and learning; and the implementation of the mid-day meal program, particularly at the upper primary (5 - 8 standard) stage. With 320 participants from villages across West Bengal, it was a remarkable event that opened paths for democratic dialogue in a more meaningful and effective way."

The audience at the Pratichi Trust Workshop

BU's Diane Balser at the University of El Salvador

2009-07-21T15:45:00.009-04:00

Dr. Diane Balser, who teaches Women's Studies at Boston University, is just back from El Salvador. She has a longstanding relationship with the country, and this month was hosted at the University of El Salvador. Dr. Balser gave a talk on "The Crisis in Capitalism and its Effects on Patriarchy." She interacted with men and women, including students, women from women's organizations, government officials, and feminist scholars from the University in San Salvador.

For more than twenty-five years, Diane Balser has been an international trainer on women's issues and leadership development. She has led workshops for women (and women and men) in the context of this peer empowerment support networking in various locations throughout the world, including North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Japan, Africa, and Australia. She has given talks to conferences/seminars in South Africa, the Netherlands, Israel, and other countries.

Thus her recent work in El Salvador is very much linked to Dr. Balser's lifelong vocation leading training workshops on global issues pertaining to women's lives, and to the themes of our UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development.

Kumkum Bhattacharya, our Visva Bharti “Twin,” to attend UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher Education!

2009-06-30T17:05:00.006-04:00

Dr. Kumkum Bhattacharya, pictured at the podium above at Visva Bharti University’s UNITWIN International Conference in West Bengal, India, has been invited to attend UNESCO’s forthcoming WCHE in Paris.

For the UNESCO Conference exhibition, Kumkum is planning to share material related to ideas of Rabindranath Tagore, the founder of Visva Bharati, on higher education and his focus on rural reconstruction as being central to the idea of self-sufficiency. The themes of our UNITWIN - gender, culture, and people-centred development - will surely permeate Kumkum’s presentations!

Gearing up for UNESCO's World Conference on Higher Education!

2009-05-11T11:18:00.003-04:00

UNESCO'S UNITWIN team, that hosts our Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development Network, is gearing up for participation in UNESCO'S World Conference on Higher Education. The gathering in Paris will focus on 'the new dynamics of higher education and research for societal change and development.' (5-8 July, 2009).

The UNESCO/HQ UNITWIN team, directed by Dr. Sonia Bahri, is pictured here in late 2008 on the occasion of meetings with Dr. Brenda McSweeney, initiator of the UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture, and Development. From left to right: Carmen Piñán, Ariana Stahmer, Milena Caceres Valderrama, Brenda Gael McSweeney, Sonia Bahri, Inga Nichanian, Natalia Buga and Yoo Lee Miyon.

Since gender equality is one of UNESCO's two organizational priorities, the perspective of equity, access, and quality will be examined during the Conference debates.

Deborah Belle to Serve as Principal Investigator on $750,000 Grant to BU to Strengthen Women’s Professional Networks in Science and Engineering

2009-04-22T10:47:00.005-04:00

(Boston) – The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three-year grant to Boston University for a project to help women faculty in the sciences and engineering strengthen their professional networks as a method of improving their career success and satisfaction at the University. BU received the [$750,000] grant as part of the NSF ADVANCE program, which helps universities develop systemic approaches to increasing representation and advancement of women faculty in science and engineering careers. Deborah Belle, the principal investigator of the study, is the Interim Director of the Women’s Studies Program that anchors the UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development.

Science and engineering departments in U.S. universities continue to lose highly accomplished women to industry and to other non-academic careers, even as women represent an increasing percentage of those who earn doctoral degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Boston University is no exception. Despite hiring increases at Boston University, the overall percentages of women in natural science and engineering departments at Boston University have remained flat over the past decade.

Research has shown that faculty women in the sciences and engineering often have networks ill-suited to professional development, collaboration, productivity, or high morale. Beyond their own departments, women faculty tend to have fewer ties than do men of comparable rank, resulting in fewer channels through which they might receive information about new scientific discoveries, funding opportunities, or methods of research, or through which they might become known and valued in their fields.

“WIN: Women in Networks, Building Community and Gaining Voice” will adapt programs from other ADVANCE schools and develop new BU programs that will strengthen professional networks to enhance the success and satisfaction of women faculty. In addition, grant allocations will invigorate faculty networks in the science, technology, and engineering disciplines and support new collaborative research ventures. The centerpiece of the project is an analysis of the networks of faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Engineering, and Sargent College, and the potential connection between network changes over time and the retention and promotion of women faculty in science and engineering.

“Analyzing the impact of social networks on improving the career success and satisfaction of women faculty is truly innovative,” explains principal investigator Deborah Belle, also CAS professor of psychology.

Belle notes that the study’s findings may have broader implications for non-academic workplaces and other academic disciplines. The grant will also fund more than 20 collaborative projects in a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math fields, launching new research spearheaded by women Network analysis tools and techniques developed in this study will be made available to other researchers and institutions.

The overarching goal of the study is to create a rich community at BU, adds Belle. “Women in science and engineering tend to feel marginalized and isolated. We hope to build a professional community where people interact, are intellectually engaged, and feel more at home.”

By Amy Biderman and Deborah Belle

My Name is Kaamaylaa: Presentation at Visva Bharati

2008-12-08T19:56:00.005-05:00

My name is Kaamaylaa.

The name of my project is Sreehasani [sic]. Sreehasani means "Creative manual skills for self-reliance".

I have been working for 10 years in 9 villages (3 Muslim, 3 Hindu and 3 Santhal Villages) in 3 communities. The villages are Saatt tore, Khiruli, Kendradangal with Muslim community; Taltore, Darposhila, Baadh baubo with Hindu community; Baansh pukur, Kauaayte pukur, Bidya dharpur with Santhal community.

Our objective has been to create awareness, mainly about:

Health,

Nutrition related organic farming in household garden patch,

Handcrafts

Environment

Culture

through several group-oriented activities.

Our main activities for Nutrition related organic gardening, has been:

a) To support 15 families in each village, to start nutrition related vegetable garden, through organic farming.

b) To become aware nutritional value in vegetables.

c) To cook nutritional vegetables and gain knowledge about several recipes of nutritional values of such vegetables.

My main responsibility is to look into the nutritional factor. When I first met the mothers in the community, they were not even aware of the word "Nutrition." I showed them pictures of vegetables with their nutritional values and discussed about nutrition. They learned about the components of Sugar, Proteins, Vitamins, Fat, Iron, Salt and Water in vegetables. For example, they came to know about 6 divisions of Vitamins... A, B, C, D, E, and K.

The groups learned to cook 35 varieties of nutritional vegetable recipes. They also learned to cook 2 or 3 oil free recipes.

The groups learned the names of the vegetables that were grown in their organic vegetable garden and trained to plant herbal trees for medicine purposes on the bamboo fences of their houses.

Most of the families had Papaya trees in their garden, but the papayas on the tree were mostly wasted. The groups were trained to make food like Haaluwa and Morobba with papaya. Now these trained groups come to the center and train other new groups.

So far, awareness of vegetable organic gardening and nutrition has spread among 200 households in the nine villages.

There are now about 200 organic vegetable gardens in the nine villages.

The groups now have the knowledge about nutrition and can discuss with others about the good qualities and nutritional values of organic vegetables in the garden.

Photo by Brenda Gael McSweeney

Gender, Peace, and Conflict by Dr. Arvinder Ansari

2008-12-08T19:41:00.004-05:00

Presented November 15, 2008 at the Visva-Bharati International Conference on Women

"Women bear multiple identities and these identities are defined and re-defined in context of nation, race, gender, community and ethnicity. it is a well-recognized fact that women suffer in social-conflict on account of their gender and on account of their religion. Women may serve as the symbolic figuration of a nation. They are also seen as embodiments of male honour and as such become a site of contestation for this honour. Hence, the defense of women and children becomes and rallying slogan of men going to war, as women from opposing factions fall victim to rape and other sexual atrocities when represented as guardians of the 'race' and nation.

Women not only signify and demarcate juridical, political, cultural and psychic boundaries of a national collectivity, but they inscribe these boundaries in and through a myriad of cultural practices, their assumption of particular feminized subject positions, their relationship to the upbringing of children and involvement in religious and other ritualistic practices that construct and reproduce particular nations of tradition.

Women are considered a property and their sexuality is the most prized possession of the patriarch she suffers during the collective violence due to her sexuality and in the aftermath on account of her gender. During the times of collective-violence, ethnic-conflict and civil war, women become target of attack not as women but as the property of the Patriarch or as the icon of community honour. Women's sexuality is here attacked so as to teach men of the community a lesson that, as the natural guardians of women, they are not able to protect their women and must suffer the loss of their social property.

Women are very important for the reconstruction of the community. It is true that they witness the killing of their male members: their kith and kin are wiped out and the entire fabric of their socio-cultural existence is torn asunder. Women are left companionless and shelter-less and thrown into an alien environment. Under riot-torn conditions, when women's emotional and material world is destroyed, they are left with additional burdens. Thus, violence and social conflict not only affect women physically but also increases their responsibilities. As the scale of ethnic and social-conflict causalities has risen, both women's suffering and their responsibilities have increased.

Making visible women's experiences in situations of violent conflict, their agency in managing survival and reconstruction and women's notions of security and peace, is necessary to get due recognition for women's experiences as a resource and a space in formal politics for mainstreaming gender in the peace building process."

Dr. Arvinder A. Ansari

Associate Professor

Department of Sociology

Jamia Millia Islamia

Agenda from the 2008 International Conference on Women after Independence, Visva-Bharati, November 2008

2008-12-08T19:33:00.006-05:00

2008 International Conference On:

Women after Independence: Politics, Development, Law and Media.

Jointly sponsored by UNESCO and Women's Cell Visva-Bharati

15th- 16th November 2008

Day 1, 15th November 2008

Inauguration: Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rajat Kanta Ray

Welcome Address: Prof. Asha Mukherjee

Address by the Chief Guest: Prof. Brenda Gael McSweeney

Conference note: Sm. Swati Ganguly

Vote of Thanks: Prof. Kumkum Bhattacharya

Session I: Women and Politics

Chairperson: Prof. Maitreyi Chaudhury

Speakers:

Prof. Bonita Eleaz

Dr. Sarika Tyagi

Sri Achyut Chetan

Sm. Krishna Bandopadhyay

Session II: Women and Development with special focus on Work

Chairperson: Prof. Aparajita Mukherjee

Speakers: Prof. Mukul Mukherjee

Prof. Samita Sen

Dr. Nirmala de Abreu

Sm. Nilanjana Sengupta

Session III: Women and Development with special focus on Reproductive Health

Chairperson: Rajashri Dasgupta

Speakers

Dr. Azra Abidi

Sm. Jharna Panda

Day 2, 16th November 2008

Session IV: Women and Development with special focus on Education

Chairperson: Professor Mukul Mukherjee

Speakers:

Dr. Paromita Chakravarti

Sm. Joyeeta Bagchi

Session V: Women and Media

Chairperson: Ms. Swati Ganguly

Speakers:

Sm. Rajashri Dasgupta

Sm. Ananya Chatterjee

Sri. Abhijit Roy

Dr, Somdatta Mondal

Prof. Sutapa Bhattacharya

Session VI: Women, Law and Violence

Chairperson: Prof. Asha Mukherjee

Speakers

Dr. Ruchira Goswami

Dr. Rukmini Sen

Prof. Shamita Dasdasgupta

Sm. Anchita Ghatak

Session VII: Women and Development

Chairperson: Prof. Kumkum Bhattacharya

Speakers

Prof Brenda Gael Mc Sweeney

Presentation by members of Srihaswani Project

Sri Krishno Dey
Prof Asha Mukherjee

Valedictory

Sm Swati Ganguly

UNITWIN Staff and Message from Sonia Bahri, UNITWIN Director - UNESCO, Paris

2008-11-23T19:01:00.007-05:00

From left to right: Inga Nichanian, Hassmik Tortian, Sonia Bahri, Milena Caceres Valderrama, and Carmen Piñán.

From Dr. Sonia Bahri, Director of UNITWIN: There will be no sustainable development without women's empowerment. Higher education Institutions and universities have a key role to play as think-tanks and as bridge-builders between academia and local communities, and between research outcomes and decision making, in the field of gender equality.

Today, UNITWIN has 617 UNESCO Chairs and 60 UNITWIN Networks in 125 Member States. There are 11 Chairs plus one UNITWIN Network established in Gender issues.

Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney Awarded Order of Merit First Class from Federal Republic of Germany

2008-11-23T18:43:00.011-05:00

Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney pictured here with the Lady Mayor of Bonn, Baerbel Dieckmann, on the occasion of the Award Ceremony in Bonn.

Brenda was awarded the Order of Merit First Class, decided by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, for her work in development with the United Nations and support of the creation of the 'UN City, Bonn.'

She was invited to give a lecture entitled "Making UN History in Bonn" to the development community in Bonn on the occasion of the award ceremony. The lecture focused on work accomplished by the UN Volunteers in the arena of gender and the environment globally, with specific reference to programs in Burkina Faso and India, and an accent on steps the development community in Bonn might take next.

UN Volunteers Article on Brenda's Award

Photo by Dr. B. Murali

University of Bonn Students preparing for the Model UN, New York

2008-11-23T18:33:00.009-05:00

Model United Nations participants from the University of Bonn, Germany pictured with Brenda Gael McSweeney

Brenda met up on October 22nd at the Old Town Hall in the UN City of Bonn with a team of University of Bonn students who will be participating in the 2009 National Model UN delegation. This was on the occasion of the event, "Making UN History in Bonn", co-sponsored by the City of Bonn and the Foundation for International Dialogue of Sparkasse Bonn.

The UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture and Development is currently exploring affiliations with the University of Bonn and Sparkassenstiftung, Bonn.

Photograph by Hee-Sun Helene Won

Just published by UNESCO: "Another Side of India: Gender, Culture and Development"!

2008-10-08T13:41:00.006-04:00

Cover painting credit: © Anuradha Dey (Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India)

A Volume of Essays by participants in the UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development. Editor - Brenda Gael McSweeney; Foreword by Gita Sen; Introduction by Krishno Dey; and a final note called 'Points of View, from the Other Side...' by social activist Aruna Roy.

Essays and Authors:

Engendering Panchayats - Niraja Gopal Jayal

She's in Charge Now: An Examination of Women's Leadership in the Panchayati Raj Institutions in Karnataka - Shiwali Patel

Public Space and Women's Rights: Fine Tuning Democracy - Kumkum Bhattacharya

Srihaswani: a gender case study - Krishno Dey, Chandana Dey and Brenda Gael McSweeney
with Rajashree Ghosh

Hold the pen-plough and till the paper-land: Success story of a movement for education and related issues - Kumar Rana, Liby T. Johnson and Subhrangsu Santra

Poverty of Choice: Gender and Livelihoods in Punjab - Yaaminey Mubayi

A Uniform Civil Code towards Gender Justice - Leila Seth

Missing Daughters: Socio-Economic and Cultural Dynamics of Adverse Sex Ratio in Punjab - Malkit Kaur

Contested Terrains: Gender Justice and Citizenship in South Asia - Shahla Haeri

Story Link
Book Link

"Her Village is Named Daggo"

2008-08-30T15:00:00.001-04:00

Left: Former BU Student Ashley Hughes with Oumima in Niger, Africa. Ashley participated in the Boston University Niamey Development Program from September to December 2007. In August 2008 she returned to Niger for a two-week trip to continue learning about nutrition activities in the country. While at BU, Ashley was a key actor in the creation of a new student club at Boston University called Students Against Human Trafficking, and served as its president.

"Her village is named Daggo. It sits 4 K (about 2 miles) away from the main road. When we turned off the main road we found ourselves without a road, just in a space between stalks of millet. The village is surrounded by the villagers' millet fields, their main crop and dietary staple. When we reached the village center we got out and found our way through the maze of mud walls to Natasha's house. She has only been here for 2 weeks, and she still has a hard time finding her house.

Her house is surrounded by a short mud wall that marks off her yard, or her concession. People spend most of their lives outside--even the cool mud houses get too hot, and there's no reason to stay inside for too long. The heat drives people to sleep outside, cook outside, rest outside, everything. The house is almost a prop, just a sign of wealth. Natasha's wealth is shown in other ways. She is the only village member to have a latrine (which is a hole in the ground). The villagers go in the sand and bury it. She has furniture (a table, some chairs, a cot). She also has a large house for just herself, compared to other families in the village.

I tried putting myself in her shoes. Here she is, in complete isolation from home and from a certain standard of living that we are used to. No one in the village speaks English or even French, forcing her to learn Hausa faster out of sheer necessity. For the first month of her service she is required to stay in the village without returning to the hostel in order to solidify her place in the village.

This one woman, Oumima, was Natasha's neighbor and "mother". She is about 60 or 70 years old, and she lives in the same courtyard with her co-wife. Their husband is dead, but the two live together with the youngest of their 18 children. They are both old enough that some of their kids are grown, but as per Nigerien tradition they take care of a lot of their grandchildren. Oumima wakes up at 4 am, draws water, goes to the fields all morning, comes back to make food for her family, pounds millet, works in the field more, comes back to draw water, pounds millet...the life is so repetitive and endless.

So it was hard to understand her smile, her warm hospitality, her insistence on feeding me, her encouraging words about learning Hausa. He eyes were bright and shining every time I saw her, in spite of the baby strapped on her back or the wood balanced on her head, whether she was bending over to sweep the courtyard or to tend to the fire. She had a patience about her that you never see back home. She's not anxious for things to change, she is accepting of life as it is. It hasn't changed for her and probably never will. But it does not break her spirit."

Shahla Haeri: "Sacred Canopy: Love & Sex under the Veil"

2008-06-20T11:04:00.002-04:00

Following the screening of Shahla Haeri's video documentary, "Mrs.
President: Women and Political Leadership in Iran," Shahla interacts with a fellow professor and the audience at St. Andrews University, Scotland in June 2008.
For information on the video, please visit
www.films.com.

Aruna Roy sharing notes

2008-04-18T09:55:00.007-04:00

Aruna Roy, co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS- a non-party people's process, working towards a just and equal society), called on the Women's Studies Program at Boston University to share notes on issues of women’s participation in governance and development. Aruna reflected on the International Women’s Day Celebration on 8 March ‘08 in her home state of Rajasthan, India. She participated alongside 7,000 other Indian women. She spoke of the remarkable change, “As we looked at seven thousand women with faces uncovered in front of the men of the village, we knew that a small revolution had occurred. The people of Khandach, including the men, saw value in celebrating women’s day. It was an acknowledgement of the political power of women, as much as of the new found power in electoral representation.” (From the forthcoming UNESCO Web Book, Another Side of

India

: Gender, Culture and Development.)

Aruna was also invited to participate in the Conference, Frontiers of Innovation Celebrating 20 years of Innovation in Government, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The Conference was hosted by The Ash Institute, Harvard Kennedy School, from March 30 – April 2, 2008. Aruna was a speaker in Panel 1, entitled Innovations in Governance, Ethics and Accountability in the Public Sector. Aruna spoke of the role of MKSS in gaining the Right to Information (RTI) in India. The panel overall was exploring three successful initiatives at the local, regional and national level. The aim was to share strategies increasing transparency and enhancing competence of leaders in the public sector.

Photo by Shahla Haeri

George Mathew's Briefing on Women's Empowerment Day!

2008-04-01T14:06:00.016-04:00

Dr. George Mathew, Director of the Institute for Social Studies, New Delhi called on BU's Women Studies Program. Here he is, at left, briefing Dr. Shahla Haeri, Director of WSP, on forthcoming activities hosted at his institute. These include a symposium to be convened on 24 April 2008, Women's Political Empowerment Day, on the topic of women, Panchayats (local governance bodies) and child rights. The Institute hosts a symposium annually on 24 April, to mark this date. On this day in 1993, the Government of India amended the Constitution, giving one-third of all seats in local bodies in the country to women. Dr. Mathew explained to Shahla and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney (pictured below), that since 1994 the Institute celebrates that day as Women's Empowerment Day with a focus on various crucial topics. Nearly 1,000 women attend each year to express solidarity and discuss common problems. The theme last year was HIV/AIDS, women and the role of Panchayats, while in 2006 the celebrations focused on Panchayats, water and sanitation. The Institute for Social Studies carries out research projects on local governance, women's studies, the environment and contemporary economic and political challenges, which mirror the issues most important to the UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development.

Photo Credits: Brenda Gael McSweeney and Carla Pack-Bailey

Sonia Bahri at the “60 Minutes to Defend” UNITWIN/UNESCO Session!

2008-03-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

As of mid March 2008, there were 14 UNESCO Chairs plus this UNITWIN Network established in the field of Gender. Here we see Dr. Sonia Bahri, UNESCO’s UNITWIN programme Chief, interacting with Representatives of Permanent Delegations to UNESCO and National Commissions, and various other partners. We are all proud that the UNITWIN programme is moving from strength to strength, with activities taking place in a range of gender disciplines and countries including: Argentina, Spain, India and Poland.

Students Respond to International aspects of "Women and Electoral Politics: A New Era?"

2008-03-21T11:29:00.004-04:00

Maria Claudia Echavarria - “It is astonishing to see that countries like Mozambique, Chile, India and Liberia all had female leaders before the United States. The United States, although a country which strongly promotes gender equality, is also one that holds the strongest barriers for women in politics… As Dr. Norris believes, in order to empower women in politics we must do more than just believe in one candidate, we must strive to break the barriers and reform the game of politics and gender around the world.”

Kimberly Fillion – “The first speaker and professor at Harvard University, Pippa Norris discussed barriers facing women leaders, primarily in developing countries. Culture and politics, both local and regional, have huge roles in prohibiting women from having equal footage on the frontline in regards to obtaining leadership. While progress is made, there is still evidence of a glass ceiling that all women face, whether in developing or developed countries.”

Anna Miller - “I gained a number of insights during the discussion of whether we are in a new era, of how women are involved in electoral politics. Professor Pippa Norris presented very interesting research that proved that when structural constraints were changed to favor women, as in Rwanda and Ireland, there is drastic increase of women in state and national legislature.”

Melinda Heavey – “I liked how Professor Norris drew examples from global trends, not just America. She relayed that women leaders are present in only 12 countries, and not just affluent countries. Some of the poorest countries including Chile, Argentina and Jamaica were among the 12 countries that did have female leaders.”

Women and Electoral Politics: A New Era?

2008-03-21T11:25:00.003-04:00

On March 18, in the Trustees Ballroom of Boston University (BU) the Women Studies Program hosted a lecture and discussion entitled, “Women and Electoral Politics: A New Era?” as the opening event to Genderfest ’08 - a student initiated week of events attempting to answer the questions of Gender on Boston University’s campus. The Director of the WSP, Dr. Shahla Haeri began the event with welcoming remarks and set the stage for the discussion. “We are in the midst of an intriguing Presidential election in the United States, for the first time a woman political leader is a major candidate,” she exclaimed. “Women leaders have a large historical and global presence.”

Pippa Norris, Professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, presented on “Shattering the Marble Ceiling: Barriers Facing Women Leaders.” She put the current US Presidential race in a broader international context by looking at global trends, theoretical frameworks (cultural, structural and institutional) and evidence and survey data. Dr. Norris’ intriguing lecture touched on the future direction of American politics in the “post-feminism generation.” Through the framework she has developed, Dr. Norris concludes that culture remains a barrier, but these barriers can be overcome with institutional reforms.

Dean Virginia Sapiro, Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean, launched the event saying, “It has been a new era for a long time, but I want this new era to end, women in politics should be normal.” Her discussion focused on the world of scholarship and began by looking at women in the legislature. She explained the base line in American politics: that until the 1950s only 2% of Members of Congress were women and in 2008, only 16%. “All discussions must take place in relation to the base line and if you look at the numbers it is clear that women are not equal to men in American politics.” Dean Sapiro said that she does not want to give us answers; she will wait for the data, and that she is developing a framework for discussion. “We do not know who will win the Presidential election, but gender is making a big difference this year- the gender discussion is being brought to the floor.”

The full house event and lively question and answer session was moderated by Professor Douglas Kriner, Department of Political Science at BU.

Story prepared by Margaret Hartley.

International Women's Day Message from UNESCO's Gülser Corat!

2008-03-07T15:59:00.009-05:00

INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day presents an opportunity to reflect on the level of equality between women and men throughout the world. It is unfortunate that in the twenty-first century, the outcome of such an exercise continues to point to the significant gender gaps that persist in terms of literacy, political participation, employment, and access to property and productive assets worldwide, to name only a few. These formidable challenges demand renewed attention and resources on behalf of public and private entities, as well as civil society, political and traditional opinion leaders, and individuals at the local, national, and international levels.

At UNESCO, the year 2008 represents a promising turning point for gender equality, as the Organization has recently designated gender equality as one of two global priorities in its “Medium-Term Strategy” for 2008-2013. In line with this new priority, the Section for Women and Gender Equality of the Bureau of Strategic Planning – UNESCO’s central coordinating and monitoring entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment – was reclassified by the Director-General as the Division for Gender Equality, and is now fully represented at the Directorate, the decision making body. In light of these propitious occurrences, International Women’s Day takes on a special meaning for us at UNESCO this year.

It is timely that, at a moment when women’s global needs have been growing and the sources of funding for gender equality have been dwindling, the United Nations has set “Financing for Gender Equality” as the theme for International Women’s Day 2008. This decision stems from the recognition that, beyond being a necessary condition for improving the lot of half of the world’s population, mobilizing resources to finance gender equality is a question of smart and just economics, and of social justice.

Research has demonstrated, and experience has shown us, that economic decisions impact women and men differently. For instance, cutbacks on social expenditures hit women, especially poor women, harder than men. Further, women worldwide perform a vast quantity of unremunerated work – work whose invaluable contribution to the national and international economy cannot be gauged, because it goes unaccounted for by national governments. In light of these examples, it becomes clear that channeling resources towards women in the pursuit of gender equality is not an “extra” handout; it is simply just economics. Just because it represents a redistribution of resources towards those who have contributed generations of unpaid work to the world economy. Just because it is aimed towards those who have been disproportionately affected by past and current economic policies. Just because it aims to redress some of the deep-rooted structures that continue to subjugate women worldwide. Also because around the world women earn less than their male counterparts for the same work.

Despite the scarcity of funds invested in pursuit of gender equality, a number of prominent philanthropists and fundraisers have mobilized great resources to promote women’s rights, women’s empowerment, and equality between women and men. This year, UNESCO has the honor to bring some of these distinguished individuals together at an International Round Table entitled “Gender Equality – Make it Your Business.” Specifically, the Round Table emphasizes the important role played by these philanthropists and fundraisers in promoting gender equality, which, for UNESCO, is a fundamental human right, a commonly shared value, and a necessary condition for the achievement of the internationally agreed development objectives including all the Millennium Development Goals.

In tandem with the Round Table, UNESCO is pleased to present a number of colorful and innovative exhibitions and events that pay tribute to women’s participation in fields as varied as peace building, filmmaking, literature, fine arts and music. This year’s events further draw attention to key, gendered, contemporary themes. The breadth and diversity of these endeavors demonstrate that the issue of gender equality pervades all facets of society, that women contribute to all spheres of life, and that there are innumerable ways to celebrate the richness of these contributions. Finally, as the title of the Round Table “Gender Equality: Make it Your Business” suggests, this year’s celebrations urge us to consider the role each of us must play in the collective effort to make gender equality a global reality.

Gülser Corat

Director, Division for Gender Equality, Bureau of Strategic Planning, UNESCO, Paris

Sculpture: © Annette Jalilova

2008-03-07T11:32:00.018-05:00

FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Gender: The multidimensional aspect of working in India

ORGANIZED BY VISVA-BHARATI UNIVERSITY AND UNESCO UNDER THE UNITWIN PROGRAMME WITH OTHER INDIAN UNIVERSITIES AND BOSTON UNIVERSITY

VENUE: VISVA-BHARATI UNIVERSITY, SANTINIKETAN, WEST BENGAL – 731 235

DATES: WEEKEND OF 15-16 November, 2008

REGISTRATION FEE: Rs. 1000/- ; $ 50

1. Interested participants and contributors may send their draft synopsis of not more than 250 words on any of the areas listed in the concept note or in related areas to the coordinators by June 30, 2008.

2. Interested participants and contributors are requested to bear in mind that Visva-Bharati will be able to provide local hospitality that includes accommodation and meals. UNESCO has contributed $1000 towards the organization of the conference.

Concept Note

Gender has emerged as a key term in political, economic, social, cultural and pedagogical discourses and praxis in India over the last three decades since the Committee on the Status of Women in India submitted its landmark document Towards Equality (1975). To provide a cursory overview: Gender figures prominently in programs/ projects/ policies of both government and funded non governmental agencies at the macro and micro levels. Thus questions of women’s empowerment and agency recur in government policies regarding reservation, political participation, governance, development, health and education. The pro-woman state policies are mirrored by the judiciary in its amendments with regard to laws for women, and sometimes in its sensitivity in judgments in cases of domestic and public violence against women, in property disputes and divorce maintenance. Non governmental organizations specializing in issues relating to women--trafficking, legalization of sex work, sexual and other forms of violence especially during community conflict situations, reproductive health, HIV/ AIDS projects, micro-financing for self-employment, and assessment of gender sensitization in the pedagogical processes-- have proliferated over the past 15 years.

The setting up of women’s studies centres in several universities in India has facilitated researches and projects relating to ‘gender issues’ not merely in the social sciences, literature, performing and visual arts, but also in mainstream science and technology. There is also an attempt to bridge the gap between academia and activism through the close networking and in building up what is understood as action research.

However, as is evident, in its current deployment gender almost always signifies ‘woman’. Perhaps it is time to question this conflation between gender and woman and reiterate that notions of ‘masculinity and ‘femininity’ are both social constructs created through the discourse of ‘naturalization’ that forms the lynchpin of patriarchal ideology and affects the identity formation of men and women. Rooted in the collective psyche and reinforced through various institutional practices, traditional gender identities play a key role in oppression of both sexes. Thus, it is crucial to underscore that like all historically contingent categories ‘gender’ is not a constant or given and subject to revision and change. Indeed, in a hierarchized gendered Indian society it is impossible to dismantle traditional notions of the ‘feminine’ and challenge female gender stereotypes without a reassessment of the notions of ‘masculine’ and the role and function of men both within the family and outside.

Moreover, gender issues are invariably inflected with questions of sexuality; thus gender stereotypes and roles in patriarchy are deeply invested in issues of compulsory heterosexuality, leading to women’s sexual exploitation, whether within the home or in the work place. Indeed the normative power of heterosexuality still continues to dominate discussion of gender often occluding the significant presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) movement in India.

Having stated this it is important to acknowledge that delving into all or several of these aspects is a mammoth task and impossible to undertake given the constraints of time and resources. Thus we think it prudent to focus on a limited number of issues that have been indicated above hoping that deliberations and discussions will contribute to affirmative action.

With this end, we have decided that the conference will have two components: a set of formal academic sessions with valuable inputs from invited researchers/ scholars engaged in the fields and an informal interactive session with activists/ social workers/ members of NGOs, women in local governance as well as students from the various departments in Visva-Bharati.

A tentative list of issues that may be taken up for deliberation is given below. Some of these may be clubbed together as sub themes depending upon the response from the participants. It would be worthwhile to take up specific instances instead of general overviews. The two broad categories which may be addressed are those relating to ‘women’ and those concerning ‘gender identities’:

I. The ‘woman question’ in policy, program and polemics

(a) Women in the political process: representation and agency
(b) Women and development: government policies and roles of NGOs
(c) Women and Law: legal reforms, and problems of implementation
(d) Women and violence with reference to both domestic & public spheres
(e) Women and labour focusing on the invisibility of women’s work

II. Exploring Gender Identities: representations and reformulations

This category will inquire into the discursive formation of gender identities, both masculine and feminine, through various social institutions and its representation in cultural productions, interrogate the ideology of such identity formation and explore possibilities of alternative models. We have deliberately indicated only broad categories at this stage to keep options open for diverse nature of interventions.

(a) Gender and pedagogy

(b) Gender and literature

(d) Gender and the performing and visual arts

(e) Gender and films

We wish to reiterate that this is only the initial stage of our attempt to conceptualize the conference. We hope to be able to make more specific formulations as responses come in.

Coordinators:

Kumkum Bhattacharya

kmkmbhattacharya@yahoo.com

Swati Ganguly

swati33_g@yahoo.co.uk

Asha Mukherjee

ashamukh@gmail.com

Message from the Vice Chancellor, Visva-Bharati!

2008-02-22T11:50:00.004-05:00

From Vice-Chancellor Rajat Kanta Ray, Visva-Bharati, Shantineketan, West Bengal

"We on our part in Visva-Bharati are delighted at the international cooperation that has been achieved between our institution and yours."

Photo Credit: http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/at_a_glance/at_a_glance.htm

Professor Malkit Kaur responds to the alarming sex ratio situation in Punjab

2008-02-22T11:34:00.006-05:00

Malkit Kaur, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Punjabi University at Patiala, is preparing a study to investigate the missing women of Punjab. This empirical study will be a follow up to her earlier work related to the declining sex ratio in Punjab. Sex Ratio compares the number of males to females in a population. This new study will take place in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab State. This district has experienced a dramatic decline in the child sex ratio in the last decade.

In this week’s news, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) identified Punjab as the worst state in India in terms of the Child Sex Ratio, specifically, in “the age group of 0-6 years old due to the rampant practice of female foeticide there.”[1]

The empirical study is necessary in order to understand the dramatic effects of this process. It has been predicted that if the trend continues, the number of females in Punjab after 20 years would be one third of the number of males.

Malkit believes, “The study in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab becomes all the more important, as the district had experienced maximum and drastic declining of 120 points in the child sex ratio of 754.”

Villages will be selected after conducting a preliminary survey. Field level data will be collected by village people and others such as academia, administrators and social workers, will be consulted to explain real issues.

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, Paris is supporting Professor Kaur’s cutting-edge research.

[1] Punjab Worst in child sex ratio” <www.Newindpress.com>

Photo credit: http://www.punjabiuniversity.ac.in/pages/infrastructure.html

London Calling! by Margaret Hartley, BU Senior & Research Assistant, Women's Studies Program

2008-02-15T10:22:00.009-05:00

It feels so strange to be back in the United States, hearing American accents, not carrying an umbrella around EVERYWHERE, and taking the T instead of the Tube…. I just returned from spending four months in London. I was studying abroad on a Boston University Internship Program. My experience was not quite as exotic as Kassia’s described below, yet I did get to have a wonderful opportunity to use my communication skills to help non-profits throughout the world.

The first half of my semester was spent taking classes, getting to know the city and travelling throughout Europe. I had quite the whirlwind tour of Western Europe. In mid October, I began working at MySpace UK. Yes THE MySpace, Tom the founder and all. On my first day, I was told that I would be spending my time helping find content for MySpace UK’s new non-profit initiative. I was psyched! In November, Impact would launch, it is designed to enable non-profits, civic organisations and politicians to connect with the online community, in turn enabling the community to learn about the issues and organizations relevant to their lives. The goal is to empower MySpace users to make a difference in the world. I helped create a database of all UK-based charities on MySpace and reached out to organizations not on MySpace to encourage them to create a profile. The plan is to change the theme of the non-profits on a weekly basis. Themes include: Sexual Responsibility, HIV/AIDS awareness, environment, racism, drinking responsibly, homelessness, cancer, hunger issues, and women’s rights.

MySpace is the number one social networking website worldwide Social networking websites have changed the way the internet works. They have the power to change the world, and finally one is doing just that. One of Impact’s first feature partners was UNICEF. Using MySpace helped UNICEF spread the message about HIV/AIDS transmission. Over 12,000 people have joined the Impact profile. It’s amazing to see how many people social networking websites can reach. It is really inspiring to see a multi-billion dollar company, like MySpace, reaching out to make a difference. It felt great to be part of such a worthwhile initiative!

Now that I am back I have had some time to reflect on what a great experience it was being abroad. I think it is imperative that people take the opportunity to learn about what is going on in other countries. For some people it’s having the opportunity to live there, for others it might be reading about places on the internet. We are lucky to have multiple ways to see the world and everyone should!

This Just In -- News from New Delhi!

2008-02-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

Gurmeet S. Rai at the Red Fort (New Delhi); photo by Outlook courtesy of Gurmeet Rai

Gurmeet S. Rai, is pictured here during the preparation of the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for the Red Fort. Gurmeet, coordinator on behalf of Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI)/ Lime Centre for UNITWIN, will now be working with the United Nations World Tourism Organization as the cultural heritage specialist on the UNWTO international team to prepare the master plan of tourism development for the state of Punjab. This is to include livelihood opportunities and gender aspects. Gurmeet, a conservation architect, has led CRCI to take on numerous cultural heritage projects, ranging from the Integrated Tourism Development Plan for Amritsar as a major tourism destination site, to conservation of select cultural sites in Punjab through community participation with support from UNESCO and the United Nations Volunteers/UN Development Programme.

A letter from Southern India

2008-02-01T14:07:00.000-05:00

Kassia Karr is an independent studies major in the University Professors Program at Boston University, concentrating in South Asian languages and literatures, Women's Studies and Sociology. She is currently in India for two academic semesters with the University of Wisconsin - College Year in India Programme, Madurai.

"Greetings from the southern tip of India, where the monsoon rains have
started and 75 degree temperatures at night feel cold! I have had an
incredible time thus far, and wanted to write to you and update you on
my journey and my research here.To start, I have been thoroughly initiated into the womens' world here.
I'm living with another female student in a flat above a family filled
with daughters, and we're frequently invited to pujas, temples, and
other religious events, where we're stuffed with food and leave with
flowers in our hair. The countryside is beautiful and the people are
incredibly gracious and friendly. There are some cultural issues we
have to adjust to - particularly, getting used to having little to no
interaction with men, but at the same time receiving a lot of male
attention - but there have been no conflicts of any kind thus far.

For my tutorial portion of the program, I'm working at a womens' Non Governmental Organization (NGO) called Sudar that provides educational courses at little to no charge
for first-generation female college students. Most of the students are
from poor families and go to government schools, which subsidize their
costs. I'm specifically working in the basic computer class, where I
help assist and correct the girls as they practice learning MS Word,
Excel, etc., in my simplistic Tamil. I'm also writing a guidebook for
them to use in the course in the future, and at the end of the year I
will complete a research paper on the role of technology and education
in women's development.

For another, 'extra' tutorial, I'm taking cooking classes from a
Nattukottai Chettiar woman, and learning about the role of cooking and
keeping house in South Indian women's lives as a part of it. In
contrast with the NGO, it takes me out of the position of instructor
and puts me more into a cultural immersion into women's lives here.

Finally, for my field work project I decided to research 'Women and
Information Technology (IT) in South India.' This research is partially
based on development studies, and partially based on modern
sociological studies. I'm looking at the impact of the booming
IT/outsourcing industry in South India on a variety of women's lives -
particularly middle class women, and first-generation college students
becoming the first females in their family to work - and learning about
their struggles as working women, the duality of their identities in
the traditional society, their improved social status via their
salaries, and so on. The Indian IT industry has been pushing to recruit
more women than men, for a variety of reasons, so it's really an
interesting and rather timely social phenomenon to be researching and
discussing with people.

So that's India, thus far!

I happened to be looking at the Boston University (BU) College of Arts and Sciences website today, and noticed a link talking about the new UNITWIN program at BU - how fantastically
exciting! I'd be very interested to hear about the collaborations that
are taking place between the Women Studies Program and the Indian universities."

BU Today Article featuring UNITWIN Initiative

2007-11-23T10:33:00.001-05:00

"BU at Forefront of UN Push for Women’s Studies Program will foster education, activism in India" By Vicky Waltz

Shahla Haeri, director of the BU Women’s Studies Program (left), and Brenda Gael McSweeney, a visiting scholar in the Women’s Studies Program, founded the Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development. Photo by Vicky Waltz

Three years ago, at a Paris meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Brenda Gael McSweeney described a case study that her students were doing in West Bengal. McSweeney, a visiting scholar in the BU Women’s Studies Program and a former UN executive, told her colleagues that while the project originally involved helping both male and female villagers earn their livelihood through customary means, such as practicing traditional medicine, it was the women who had become most interested.

“My colleagues said this study was exactly what they were looking for: universities that would be more than theoretical ivory towers,” McSweeney recalls. “Universities that would instead provide a two-way interface between nongovernmental and civil society activists and those in academia.” Thus was conceived the Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development, comprising the BU Women’s Studies Program and participating Indian partners.

Now that network has led to BU’s becoming the first university in Massachusetts and the third in the United States to join a larger UN-funded effort to promote research in women's and gender studies. The effort, UNITWIN (university twinning and networking scheme), pairs universities with nongovernmental organizations and community activists worldwide to promote an integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation of activities in UNESCO’s spheres of competence. It also provides advice and expertise to assist partner countries in gender, culture, and development studies.

The University is partnered with three universities and two NGOs in India: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), in New Delhi; Punjabi University at Patiala, Punjab; Visva-Bharati University, in West Bengal; the Bhab Initiative, in West Bengal; and the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI)/The Lime Centre, in New Delhi. Coordinated at Boston University by McSweeney and Shahla Haeri, a College of Arts and Sciences associate professor of anthropology and director of the CAS Women’s Studies Program, the project has been endorsed by both Koïchiro Matsuura, director-general of UNESCO, and by BU President Robert A. Brown.

“We think that this program is what gender and women’s studies are all about,” Haeri says. “There is so much opportunity for exchanging ideas and learning from our partners in India. We believe in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural work, and this program ties in directly with Dr. Brown’s global initiative.”

Officially launched in September, the partnership hopes, among other things, to help Indian universities and nongovernmental organizations develop their own women’s studies programs. “More and more universities from different countries that would never have considered a women’s studies program 10 or 20 years ago are realizing that there’s a real need and demand for it,” Haeri says. “Now they’re not only establishing centers, but they’re actively trying to connect with other universities to have models to look at and incorporate those into their own needs and objectives.”

One of the program’s largest undertakings is an international symposium planned by Visva-Bharati University for December 2008 in West Bengal. The event will include conferences and lectures about women’s livelihoods, rights and political voice, and education. Haeri hopes to involve professors and students from both BU and India in scholar exchanges and internships.

“It’s interesting to see how very grassroots movements resonate with what’s happening now in the highest political levels,” says McSweeney, citing India’s 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, which passed in 1992 and provide a 33 percent reservation for women in local government bodies, among other provisions.

“Community involvement is crucial,” Haeri says. “And we must involve men as well as women. After all, gender involves two sexes, and men have to be involved to appreciate that gender equality is good for the welfare of the family and the community.”

Vicky Waltz can be reached at vwaltz@bu.edu.

Article courtesy of BU Today http://www.bu.edu/today/

Please see the following links for more information on the UNITWIN partners:
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) http://jmi.nic.in/
The Punjabi University at Patiala http://www.punjabiuniversity.ac.in/pages/dlis/dlis.htm
Visva-Bharati http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/
The Bhab Initiative http://srihaswani.com/
Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI) http://crci.4t.com/

Yaaminey Mubayi speaks at the India Gate Lawn

2007-11-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

On November 7th, 2007, Yaaminey Mubayi took part in an outreach event on Federalism, ‘Sanjha Safar: Public Discourse,’ at the India Gate Lawn, New Delhi. The event was organized by The Asian Heritage Foundation. Dr. Yaaminey Mubayi was a feature speaker presenting “Jaya Jagannath! The Links between People and Spaces in the Ritual Community of Puri.” Yaaminey, a co-coordinator for CRCI (Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative)/ UNITWIN , shared her work linking community development issues with built heritage conservation in Nabha and Amritsar in the state of Punjab. She illustrated the strong impetus provided by popular feeling for heritage and the importance of people's concerns in development programs. Her work on the pilgrimage sites of Puri and Amritsar demonstrates the power inherent in culture as a medium to drive development initiatives.

International Visitor interacts on UNITWIN

2007-10-24T17:00:00.001-04:00

On United Nations (UN) Day, October 24, 2007, Gita Sen called on BU's Women Studies Program colleagues. Discussions focused on Gita's commitment to systematically infusing gender processes into programs and policies at different levels, with Unifem (the UN Development Fund for Women) as a catalyst. She believes in building the evidence base "from below" then moving to the policy level.

Gita is currently a Professor at the Centre for Public Policy within the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Here she is pictured perusing UNITWIN's forthcoming volume of essays.

Photo by: Carla Pack-Bailey

Our UNITWIN Network on the UNESCO portal!

2007-09-20T18:25:00.005-04:00

Boston University joins UNESCO’s university twinning network

Paris 18-09-2007 - Following a cooperation agreement signed between UNESCO and Boston University (BU), United States, the UNITWIN (University Twinning) Network on Gender, Culture and People-Centred Development at BU is now part of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme.

The UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture and People-Centred Development is co-ordinated by BU’s Women's Studies Program. It aims to promote research, training and documentation in women and gender studies and assist partner countries in gender, culture and development studies. This UNITWIN Network will further promote North-South Cooperation through five partner higher education institutions in Asia and enhance interaction with UNESCO and between UNESCO Chairs in the field of women's issues.

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme comprises over 750 institutions in 125 countries. Launched in 1992, it aims to advance research, training and programme development in higher education through inter-university cooperation.
Contact: unitwin@unesco.org

Related links
UNESCO’s UNITWIN network

What I encourage everyone to do: Disrupt!

2007-08-22T11:03:00.001-04:00

By Shiwali Patel, Boston University 2005 graduate, former Community Educator for Adults and Adolescents at the DC Rape Crisis Center, current law student at Washington College of Law at American University.

It’s an unfortunate reality that sexual violence is widespread to the extent that one in three women worldwide will be a sexual assault survivor. I’ve learned about sexual violence in depth at Boston University (BU) as a women’s studies student and at the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) where I was a community educator in Washington, D.C. for almost two years. As a student I researched global sexual violence and learned about the horrors faced by many women and children in war torn regions where rape is often used as a tactic of war. Also, to connect more with the issue, I researched campus rapes in the United States and shockingly discovered how so few survivors of rape are supported by their schools.

Another reality I came to understand more clearly as a student and an advocate was societal belief in damaging myths about sexual violence. Adults, adolescents, college students and children have expressed to me, in different ways, many false assumptions about rape. These include: sometimes women are at fault for being raped because “of wearing a short skirt,” “of being too sexual,” “of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” “men can’t control their sexual urges,” or that “she really wanted it then, but changed her mind and cried rape afterwards.” After listening to this, I would scream in my head thinking, but what if she wanted to wear that skirt? Does this mean that I can’t go anywhere in clothes that I like to wear without being blamed if I’m attacked? How about the many stories I’ve heard about women not reporting? What about children? How are they asking for it? The people who spread these myths disregard the implications of what they are saying- that it’s not the rapists fault for rape, that the victim is to blame, that men and boys aren’t raped, and that rape is just about sexual gratification. All of these are false and in reality, rape is a violent act that is used to overpower and humiliate its victims.

Privilege, power, control, oppression, -ism, hate, have all been a big part of my vocabulary when understanding sexual violence as a community educator for DCRCC. For almost two years, I’ve heard numerous personal stories about victimization, and never did anyone “ask for it.” The pain was real, and so was the healing. In working with the elderly, sex workers, college students, homeless women and men, adolescents, women formerly incarcerated, immigrants and city-wide professionals, I found that survivors often have many reasons for not reporting their victimization and seeking support services. These reasons included fear of deportation, language barriers, lack of trust in law enforcement, shame, dependency on the perpetrator(s), fear of retaliation from the attacker(s), disabilities, and lack of knowledge on the law and resources for help. I’ve also learned that perpetrators were often aware of the barriers and the power they had in silencing their victims.

Thus, to conclude, these learning experiences have only encouraged me to do what I encourage everyone to do: disrupt. Disrupt people’s false assumptions about rape. Disrupt the pattern of most rapists, who rape more than once and get away with it. Disrupt the community that silences its victims. Disrupt the system which does not support survivors. Until we disrupt, we’ll have a heck of a longer time seeing any real and positive change.

Breaking News!

2007-07-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

UNESCO's Chief of International Cooperation in Higher Education and Manager - UNESCO Chairs, Dr. Sonia Bahri (at left) visits the Women Studies Program at Boston University. She shares the news that the UNITWIN (University Twinning) Network on Gender, Culture and People-centered Development becomes official in September--- the sole UNITWIN now based in Massachusetts! With her (left to right) are Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, initator of this UNITWIN Network; Dr. Barbara Gottfried, Women Studies Program faculty; and Maryam Shahsahebi, WSP program manager.

A word from Dublin from Carrie Preston

2007-07-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Carrie Preston, Assistant Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Boston University, studies gender, performance, and nationhood in the context of world modernisms. She participated in a 2007 summer seminar at Trinity College, Dublin, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her research in Dublin concerns Irish literature and theatre throughout the first half of the twentieth century and the Irish transition from British colony to an independent state. Using the archives of the Abbey Theatre, she examines women’s participation in the national theatre movement as playwrights, performers, and directors, with a focus on Lady Augusta Gregory and Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh. She also considers how women’s participation in the struggle for national independence intersected with the international women’s movement and the battle for full participation in national cultures. She has discovered that Irish theatre, Irish nationalism, and Irish feminism are productively understood in an international context. The national theatre borrows performance techniques and styles from German folk theatre, Russian dance, and Japanese Noh performance, among others. Irish nationalism and feminism also benefit from the discourses, ideas, and strategies developed in similar movements around the world. All may be seen as international performances that contribute to world modernisms.

For additional photos please see her photo story at http://www.flickr.com/photos/10266745@N03/sets/72157603870806266/

Coming Attraction!

2007-07-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Painting: Anuradha Dey

Volume of Essays on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development - India

Editor: Brenda Gael McSweeney

General Editing: Mieke Windecker

Governance and political voice

Public Space and Women’s Rights: Fine Tuning Democracy

Kumkum Bhattacharya

Engendering Local Democracy: The Impact of Quotas for

Women in India’s Panchayats

Niraja Gopal Jayal

She’s in Charge Now: An Examination of Women’s

Leadership in the Panchayati Raj Institutions in Karnataka

Shiwali Patel

Livelihoods and education

Srihaswani: a gender case study

Krishno Dey, Chandana Dey and Brenda Gael McSweeney

with Rajashree Ghosh

Hold the pen-plough and till the paper-land: Success

story of a movement for education and some related issues

Kumar Rana, Liby T. Johnson and Subhrangsu Santra

Poverty of Choice: Gender and Livelihoods in Punjab

Yaaminey Mubayi

Women’s Rights

A Uniform Civil Code towards Gender Justice

Leila Seth

Missing Daughters: Socio-Economic and Cultural Dynamics

Of Adverse Sex-Ratio in Punjab

Malkit Kaur

Contested Terrains: Gender Justice and Citizenship in

South Asia

Shahla Haeri

"Me and an Owl"

2007-07-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

Boston University's Women Studies Program presented “Me and an Owl", a new documentary about the United States military and camp-town women in the Republic of Korea, on 22 March 2007. In this provocative documentary, camp-town women have agreed to allow their faces to be exposed. Since the end of World War II, the US has maintained a sprawling network of military bases in Asia. In conjunction with Japan and the Philippines, South Korea has occupied an axial position in the US military’s global strategy- initially against communist forces and now against terrorist forces and other unidentified threats. Two thirds of the US military overseas bases are still concentrated in Germany, Japan and South Korea. This development has grave and far-reaching implications for the lives of tens of millions of people in various host countries in terms of employment, family, gender relations and sexuality, human rights and environmental security. (Source: WSP Flyer)

The documentary is based on camp-town women’s interviews. They openly discuss the challenges they have encountered as impoverished women. As an attempt for survival the women have become workers in the sex industry which caters to the international forces that have bases in South Korea. Many of the women interviewed feel as if they are invisible or not treated as human beings because of their position. However, in most cases the sex industry is the women’s only available profession. Gabriel Maeck, a junior at Boston University says, “To make money as a prostitute is a choice a woman can make; however, many times it is not a choice and these women are abused by their own society and their johns.”

He then notes that My Sister’s Place is a non-governmental organization in South Korea featured in “Me and the Owl.” This organization is offering the women in the film and the many like them a voice, skills and solidarity. Organizations like this will enable women to take control of their own self. If women are educated about their choices and are given an alternative way of life – they will be able to extinguish the link of impoverishment and the sex industry.

Jodi Slezak, a junior at Boston University and a student in the Gender and International Development class, found the movie very insightful. She says, "One of the most valuable points of the movie was the way the characters were developed realistically. The film developed the lives and thoughts of these women, in order to allow the audience to sympathize and understand them as real people. In a remarkable way the film makers found a way to allow anyone, even middle class Americans, to relate to the experiences of these women.”

Women are the Solution to Africa's Problems

2007-07-20T16:30:00.000-04:00

A presentation was made by Rebecca Tinsley on 8 March 2007 entitled “Why Women are the Solutions to Africa’s problems”; it was cosponsored by the Women Studies Program and the African Studies Center at Boston University. Rebecca Tinsley is a British journalist and the Director of Waging Peace, a non-governmental organization focusing on ending the crisis in Darfur. Tinsley believes that African women are the key to the continent’s success. She says, “Women are the agents of social change.” Tinsley focuses on a bottom up development model. She wants to help empower women by implementing micro loans, education and training programs. If women can have access to micro loans and education or training they will be able to advance development in their own communities.

Tinsley’s insightful lecture led her to discuss The Rwanda Girls School, a boarding school which will provide Rwandan women the opportunity for education. In order to prevent the reoccurrence of atrocities like the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the establishment of safe educational institutions is necessary. The Rwanda Girls School which is being developed by Tinsley has a two-fold strategy. It will address the gender divide by providing technology to all students in an attempt to eliminate the digital divide. The second aspect of the strategy will focus on eliminating the social hierarchies that enable discrimination against women in Rwanda. Meredith Gray, a Boston University sophomore says, “In broadening girls’ skills, the Rwanda Girls School ensures that women will help determine policy, culture and social views within Rwanda. With the attitude that any committed, well-educated person can make a difference, The Rwanda Girls School will prepare Rwandans for social change.”

This entry was compiled from two students work: Margaret Hartley and Meredith Gray. For more information on the Rwanda Girls School please visit: http://www.rwandagirlsschool.org/about.htm.

A Glimpse of Action-Research near Shantiniketan

2007-07-19T16:57:00.003-04:00

A brief description was shared by Brenda Gael McSweeney of gender research initiated with colleagues in West Bengal, India, focussed on their programs for self-reliant development. She first became involved in 1998 as the United Nations Development Programme representative providing support to Srihaswani, or “Creative manual skills for self-reliant development,” based in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. This is the brainchild of development thinkers and activists Krishno and Chandana Dey and Shantum Seth.

This year the research of Brenda and Chandana with the latter’s Project Team focused on non-formal education. Brenda described some of the changes she had observed since she first visited the area.

A spate of progressive legislation has been enacted in India, ranging from 100 days of guaranteed work at the minimum wage in rural areas to mid-day school meal schemes, plus pace-setting provisions against domestic violence against women and child labor. It was fascinating for Chandana and Brenda to hear directly from women in the villages where different groups constitute the majority of the population – Hindu, Muslim and Santhal (tribal) – as to the actual impact of such measures at the grassroots level. Receiving “top marks” from the women was the employment guarantee scheme.

According to Chandana Dey, one of the most challenging issues that the villagers have been addressing with the Project Team is finding ways of getting children to attend school and other government-run programs such as the “Anganwadi” where mothers and children under six are given nutrition supplements. The women both forfeit work and face the dangers of travel with youngsters during the monsoon season. Hence the Team initiated pre-school activities right in the least advantaged neighborhoods. This approach tallies with UNESCO’s emphasis on the importance of early childhood education in its 2007 report monitoring global progress towards ‘Education for All.’

And once ‘hidden’ women were both visible and vocal, reflected in the snap above in a village outside of Shantiniketan, articulating their views on a range of development issues while attending an interactive gathering. Some of the women grew up in the same village where they later married. In their view, today, many things have improved including more access to education and work opportunities.

Photo: Brenda Gael McSweeney
Source: gaidi.blogspot.com - Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University

For more visuals, visit:

Photo Set: Srihaswani in Action!

UNITWIN Who's Who

2007-07-19T15:36:00.004-04:00

Kumkum Bhattacharya is a Professor in the Department of Social Work at Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India. She has a PhD from Visva-Bharti, and a Post-graduate diploma in Educational and Vocational Guidance from the National Centre for Educational Research and Training, New Delhi. She has conducted research and published widely in the disciplines of anthropology and rural development, that included first hand study of communities in West Bengal. She has focused on women’s organizations and networks as well as leadership skills. She is currently interacting on the political empowerment of women, and was awarded an Exchange fellowship to the University of Connecticut,

USA

in the Asian American Studies Institute for the month of October 2005 to present this work.
Photo Source: University of Connecticut Website

Chandana Dey is the project manager for Srihaswani, or Creative Manual Skills for Self Reliant Development, set in West Bengal. Based in Shantiniketan, she is also leading an effort to revitalize Shantiniketan. She has worked for UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development) in Geneva, Switzerland. She served as Project Coordinator with the Ahimsa Trust in West Bengal for the past decade. Chandana has a background in History and International Affairs. Committed to facilitating grassroots development change, she is the co-founder of The Bhab Initiative.

Photo: Brenda Gael McSweeney

Krishno Dey was born in Kolkata, India, and developed his first interest in rural development traveling around villages with his father, then West Bengal's first Development Commissioner. After studying Economics in the

United Kingdom

at Oxford and Manchester Universities, he spent 26 years on a career with different United Nations organisations, starting in

Morocco

with the World Food Programme and Allende's

Chile

with the UN Development Programme, and ending with the United Nations Volunteers in Geneva. His work was concerned mostly with formulating and managing new programmes, with evaluations and policy analysis, always with a focus on low-income households. He returned to

India

in 1995 to pursue his interest in development in a voluntary capacity. There he co-founded the Bhab Initiative in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. He also continues to undertake assignments occasionally through the international system.
Photo Source: www.expresscomputeronline.com

Shahla Haeri is Director of Boston University's Women's Studies Program and Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology. She has conducted research in Iran, Pakistan and India, and has written extensively on religion, law and gender dynamics in the Muslim world. She has been awarded several postdoctoral fellowships, including one at the Women’s Studies in Religion Program, Harvard Divinity School (2005-2006); at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University (1996); and at the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women, Brown University (1986-87). She has published widely and produced a video documentary entitled "Mrs. President: Women and Political Leadership in Iran."
Photo: Frank Curran

Malkit Kaur is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Punjabi University at Patiala specializing in Women’s Studies and Rural Sociology. She has researched and written on women and development, the girl child and Socio-economic and Cultural Dynamics of the adverse sex ratio in Punjab. She served as Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology from 1998 to 2001.

Yaaminey Mubayi received her Bachelors degree in South Asian Studies at Mount Holyoke College, Ma. USA. She completed her Doctorate on the Jagannath Temple, Puri at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2000. It was published in 2005 as part of the Heidelberg University series on Orissa. Yaaminey’s work with the Culture Sector in UNESCO, introduced her to the issues besetting development agencies and the importance of people's concerns in development initiatives. In 2003, she completed an M.Sc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics. She has subsequently worked with various NGOs in the field of Culture and Development. She strongly feels that Culture is a fundamental issue that underpins development initiatives. Yaaminey works on pilgrimage sites in Puri and Amritsar to illustrate the power inherent in Culture as a medium to drive development initiatives. Yaaminey also tea

ches Heritage and Community issues at the Deptartment of Conservation, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. She is on the Expert Committee of Government of Punjab for Development of Cultural Tourism. Lastly, she is also founder member of Satark Nagrik Sangathan, an organization working on using the Right to Information for community empowerment in Delhi.

Brenda Gael McSweeney spent 30 years working for the United Nations; she joined the Women’s Studies Program at Boston University as the first-ever Visit

ing Scholar in September 2003. She brings with her vast global experience spanning from the grassroots to the policy-making level. She began her UN career in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, living in a West African courtyard and managing the project portfolio of the UN Development Programme. After performing various executive ro

les for the UN, including leading the global UN Volunteers, Brenda completed her UN career with a 5-year posting in India, heading UNDP’s largest operations worldwide. The UN Family in India, along with the Indian Government, chose “Promoting Gender Equality” as one of just two priority cross-cutting themes for the UN System’s work in India. Dr. McSweeney teaches 'Gender and International Development' at BU each Spring semester, and 'Gender and Development' in the Fall at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, where she is also a Resident Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center.

Photo: The Barefoot Photographers of Tilonia

Gurmeet S. Rai is the founder and director of the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI). In 1996, Gurmeet established the CRCI to carry out projects related to preservation and enhancement of India’s cultural heritage. Through this initiative she has been able to complete many path breaking architectural conservation projects. A conservation architect, Gurmeet has worked to promote cultural heritage in Punjab, and has extensively documented historic buildings in the state. She is also an initiator of The Lime Centre that promotes appropriate conservation technology in the country. Recently, she has added her expertise to the Red Fort’s Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan in New Delhi. Gurmeet has numerous professional memberships and publications, and has produced cultural heritage exhibitions and films.

Photo: Brenda Gael McSweeney

Savyasaachi teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Sociology at the Jamia Millia Islamia (a Central University) in Delhi. He started his explorations of different ways of life with long years of fieldwork with the Koitor forest dwellers in Chattisgarh in Central India and with forest people (Hill Kharias and Kutia Khonds) in Orissa (East India). He has worked with conservation architects as well. Experience in these fields prompted him to engage with issues of method, decolonization, conservation, social life and culture. In the course of teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia he has been able to work on issues related to learning as opposed to teaching. He has been (2007-08) traveling faculty for the Re-thinking Globalization program coordinated by the International Honors Program at Boston University. He has several publications; the most recent one from Penguin India is titled 'Between the Earth and the Sky'.

Our UNITWIN Network Partners

2007-07-19T15:32:00.001-04:00

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) {literally, Jamia in Urdu means university and Millia means national} emerged from being a small institution in pre-independence India to a central university located in New Delhi offering integrated education from nursery to research in specialized areas. Rabindranath Tagore called it “one of the most progressive educational institutions of

India

”. The basic emphasis of Jamia was on evolving innovative education methods. The faculties of Humanities and Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Science, and the State Resource Centre were founded in the early years of its existence. The establishment of these faculties was followed by that of the very popular Mass Communication Research Centre and the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning. Many new courses and programs have since been added. The Department of Sociology houses a project on women’s issues and the related areas of expertise of the faculty span a large spectrum. Drawn in part from jmi.nic.in

The Punjabi University at Patiala, Punjab,

India

, is a multi-faceted, multi-faculty educational institution with over fifty-five teaching and research departments covering disciplines in Humanities and in Sciences as diverse as Fine Arts and Space Physics. It has received the support of many Government and semi-government institutions. The University has faculty and students who receive exposure to seminars and workshops which work to further academic freedom. It also encourages partnerships with non-academic and industry related sectors. The University has established its own publication bureau, which is actively engaged in publishing research work of the academic community. The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology is unique insofar as it brings together two disciplines, or two intellectual orientations, in its teaching and research. The curriculum covers social theory, women studies, folk religion, gerontology, sociology of violence, rural social structures, Sikhism and Gandhism. The University is in the process of establishing a Women’s Studies Center. Already women and development courses are offered and these have been prepared on topics such as rural women in Punjab and female-headed households. The Vice Chancellor wishes to explore exchanges and joint degrees with Boston University.

Drawn in part from: universitypunjabi.org

Visva-Bharati (literally, world university) located in West Bengal, India, was founded by the poet and Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. He envisioned the forming of a center for Indian culture, a seminary for Eastern Studies and a meeting-place of the East and West. The University strongly believes in strengthening conditions of world peace through enhanced communication between people. In this regard Visva-Bharati follows a path of consistent research and study and encourages mutual cooperation of scholarly efforts between thinkers around the world. With its diverse areas of interest such as Music, Art, History, Journalism, Agro-economics, Biotechnology and Indo-Tibetan studies, it has received much acclaim and appreciation. In introducing the subject, rural reconstruction, it has successfully initiated a dialogue between academic study and hands-on field experience. Presently, the Vice Chancellor of Visva-Bharati has established a committee for the UNITWIN , is planning to host an international seminar, is working to set up a center for women’s studies, and wishes to moot the idea of hosting a UNESCO Chair. Drawn in part from: visva-bharati.ac.in
Photo from: www.sasnet.lu.se/bilder/visva.jpg

The Women’s Studies Program at Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) explores the variety and richness of women’s historical, cultural, and social contributions and provides insight into the ways in which gender dynamics influence the experiences of women cross culturally. A multidisciplinary approach exposes students to gender-related issues from a variety of disciplines within the social sciences and humanities. In addition, it allows students to explore aspects of women’s experiences that are beyond their own immediate boundaries – communities, class and ethnicities. Through taking courses that are grounded in similar assumptions and that raise similar questions regarding gender, yet that examine these assumptions and questions within different disciplines, students achieve an understanding of the complexity of the world around them and are more equipped to change it toward equality and ecological sustainability.

The Bhab Initiative - In an informal dialogue setting, the Bhab (meaning thought) Initiative was started by Krishno and Chandana Dey in 1995. The participants comprised members of the community from Shantiniketan and from a few surrounding villages, in the district of Birbhum, West Bengal, India. Out of this dialogue emerged a program called “Srihaswani” (a term compounded from the Bengali initials for Creative Manual Skills for Development). It is intended to bridge rural-urban gaps in the perception and understanding of women and men concerning many daily issues in living, brought to a head in recent times by the manifold pressures of ‘globalization’. With support from Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and later Irish assistance, the initiative sought to focus on low-income households where manual skills have not yet been lost and could be revived. The project was initiated in nine villages in the area. The emphasis in the project area is on direct personal involvement and satisfaction through contributions that require a conscious joining together of mind and body capacities. Through its activities the Initiative has successfully worked to improve the quality of life in the communities through creative, as opposed to mindless, routine use of manual skills. Main source and for more information, visit: srihaswani.com Photo: Brenda Gael McSweeney

In the year 1996, the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI) was founded by a team of conservation architects to document, preserve and promote

India

's cultural heritage, and revitalize community through cultural heritage initiatives. The Lime Center is a registered society, established in 1998. It is a technical wing to assist conservation activities of CRCI and other individuals and organizations that may seek its advice. The Lime Center has worked towards developing inventories of traditional materials with the use of lime as mortar and renders, techniques, management procedures and cost effective appropriate technologies. CRCI’s forte is to work with communities and develop appropriate strategies for conservation in rural and urban areas. CRCI was founded with the idea of ‘conservation of built heritage’. It strongly believes that conservation is an integral part of development and should not be perceived as a peripheral activity. CRCI’s work is interdisciplinary as it recognizes the sensitivity and the complexity involved in understanding, conserving and interpreting cultural heritage. CRCI has the honor of working in partnership with local, national and global institutions like Panchayats, District Administration, Municipal corporations, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and so on. Main source and for more information, visit: crci.4t.com
Photo Credit: universitypunjabi.org/photos/FirstPage.html

About the UNITWIN (University Twinning) Network on Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development

2007-07-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development community, seated at Boston University's Women Studies Program (WSP)! We are anticipating that this blog will allow readers to reflect and communicate on important gender issues that are shaping development. BU's Women Studies Program (WSP) directed by Dr. Shahla Haeri explores and analyzes the social, political and economic factors that influence women worldwide. (Source: WSP Website) Beginning this year, we will be participating with partners in India in UNESCO's university education twinning and networking scheme, UNITWIN.

The UNITWIN Program began in 1992 and aims to share information in all major fields within UNESCO. The goal is to promote North-South and South-South cooperation and communities of practice which will enhance institutions, primarily in developing countries. UNITWIN provides a platform for universities and research institutions to work with UNESCO to support national development efforts.

In September 2007, Boston University with five prestigious partners in India will launch a UNITWIN Cooperation Program with UNESCO in the arena of Gender, Culture and People-Centered Development. The participating partners based in India are: Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab; Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan, West Bengal; The Bhab Initiative, Shantiniketan, West Bengal; and the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI)/The Lime Centre, New Delhi; in addition to Boston University's Women's Studies Program in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. This UNITWIN has been initiated and is coordinated by Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, now of Boston and Brandeis Universities, formerly a high-level United Nations official.

The two main objectives of this UNITWIN Network are to: promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation of activities in the field of women and gender studies; and, provide advice and expertise to assist partner countries in gender, culture and development studies. We will use this interactive space to share our work and exchange insights on gender and international development priorities!