New Delhi: An umbrella group of right-wing is planning to hold a seminar to formulate an indigenous model of feminism in India.
A group of intellectuals and academicians along with Prajna Pravah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will hold the seminar at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi on January 27-28.
The seminar will be titled "Stree-Shakti in Bharatiya Thought and Practice: Interrogating Epistemic Dichotomies, Socio-Political Dialogues and Media Discourses".
Speaking to News 18.com, Poonam Kumria, seminar convener and Associate Professor of Geography at Miranda House Delhi University, said, "The basic aim of this seminar is to entrust faith in Indian values when it comes to gender roles, we need to recognize the Indigenous model of feminism. Why do we look at Indian women from the lens of western perspective? Do we not have our own logic?"
Kumria further added that western perspective on feminism is not appropriate for Indian society – "Let me give you an example: in Rajasthan there are wedding celebrations and men and women are given separate spaces. If you see it from Indian lens then we women have been given our own space. We are not bound by anything and enjoy that freedom."
The western understanding and model is creating "contradictions - Work for us is not a dividing issue but a supplementary one. There is no need to create dichotomies by using work. For women family is more important so as a supplementing act they work at home. The feminism we see now has created contradictions when there are not any in reality," she said.
KG Suresh, Director General, IIMC, said he offered the campus site as the venue for the discussion as the topic was pertinent.
"It is about women empowerment and it is important for us. India has a very rich history, tradition and culture...We can focus on adopting the best global practices in the world only if they are consonant with our ethos and value," said Suresh.
The concept note from the GIA, IIMC and Prajna Pravah reads: "Western Feminism that has come to the third world in three waves has well defined issues and positions on women. Broadly, suffrage and political rights were the focus of the first wave, the workplace, sexuality, family and reproductive rights formed the agenda in the second wave and the third wave has been looking at the micro-politics of gender."
It added: "Third World feminism has been largely influenced by theories and paradigms in Feminism, coming in from the First World. These have not been accepted without critique. It appears that in India contemporary feminists have been manipulated through marketing and mainstream media and sold a clichéd lifestyle as politics and political opposition. Thus while it is Feminist to consume the latest Clothes and addictive substances that the market offers, these remain lifestyle choices rather than opposition to Patriarchy."
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