Women, Power and Politics

By Ningombam Shreema Devi | Department of Political Science, Nambol Sanoi College, Manipur

Learners enrolled: 300

This course is very essential for understanding the contemporary issues of women in private and public spaces. The rationale for developing the course is to sensitise the students about the relation between women and power. This paper will help the students to understand the basic issues women face in the political life as a participant. The paper shall be taught from a feminist perspective to understand women’s role in family, community and state at large. It will try to develop the appreciation of domestic labour and sex workers not putting any moral judgement. The course is to develop an awareness of women beyond their empowerment and moving toward an appreciation of women as independent and radical social agents. The first unit will deal with the concept and debates surrounding Patriarchy. The sex gender debate says that sex is natural and biologically given fact where as gender is culturally constructed. The culturally constructed nature of being a man and a woman is so opposite to each other and so biased against women that it leads to male domination and the subjugation of women. Then we will talk of distinction between public and private space from gender perspective. Then, comes the issue of power. Power in the sense of decision making, agenda setting and formation of thought. How far can a woman exercise power at these three levels ? Then this course will deal with the history of women’s movement in India, work labour and the ethics of child care.

The objectives of this course are:

• to propose the idea of women as active participants in politics and national development;

• to inculcate feminism as a method of study;

• to develop a rethinking of women’s labour;

• to inculcate the dignity of labour of women;

• to enhance the gender equality in personal;

• and professional life of the young minds;and

• to equip the students for higher studies on gender issues.

In the Marxist feminist perspective there is the important debate of domestic labour. Should women’s domestic labour be considered worthy of value and payment? This course will examine the underlying argument.

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	Political Science
Credit Points :	5
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	13 Jan 2025
End Date :	30 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Feb 2025
Exam Date :	17 May 2025 IST
NCrF Level	5.0
Industry Details :	Teaching
EXAM SHIFT :	I

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

WEEK 1

Patriarchy

Concept of patriarchy

Patriarchy and its Ideological Foundation: Biological Determinism

Feminist critique of Patriarchy

The Social Construction of Gender

Gender as Performative

Sex/Gender System

Sex and gender Discrimination: Biologism versus Social Constructivism

Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Gender, Sex and Gender Identity

WEEK 2

Public-Private Divide and Feminism

Feminist Criticism of Public Private Distinction

The Concept of Power

Feminism and the Concept of Empowerment

First Wave Feminism

Second Wave Feminism

WEEK 3

Third Wave Feminism

Feminism in the West

Liberal Feminism

Radical Feminism

WEEK 4

Marxist/Socialist Feminism

Post-modern Feminism

Ecofeminism

Black Feminism

WEEK 5

Post colonial Feminism

Islamic Feminism

Feminist Discourse and its discontent

Critique of Feminist theory

WEEK 6

Traditional Historiography and feminist critiques

Third World Feminism

Feminism in India

WEEK 7

Feminist Perspective on Family

Feminist Views on Family in India

Family in Contemporary India

Women and Community-

Women and Caste System in India

Dalit women and their problem

WEEK 8

Women and State

Women and Indian State

Women and Social Reform Movements in the 19th century India

Women Reforms Movement and their position in India

History of Women’s struggle in India

WEEK 9

Women's Organisation in the Pre-Independent Period

Women in India’s Independence Movement

Women’s Movement in Post-Independent India

Women’s Studies and Women’s Movement in India

Women’s Movement in The Millitarised Region of India

WEEK 10

Theorising Gender Based

Gender-based Violence

Violence Against Women in India: A General Overview

Domestic Violence and Domestic Violence Act in India

WEEK 11

Sexual Violence: Rape and Rape Laws in India

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Violence Against Women and Militarisation

WEEK 12

Sexual Division of Labour

Productive and Reproductive Labour

Women and Work in India: The Concept of Visible and Invisible Work

Why Women‘s Work is not Visible

WEEK 13

Visible and Invisible work

Reproductive and Care Work : An Introduction

Unpaid (Reproductive and Care)

Care as a Political Concept

Underpaid and Paid Work

WEEK 14

Methods of Computing Women’s Work

Female Headed Household

The Status and Legality of Sex Work in India

The Human Rights and the Dignity of Sex Workers

WEEK 15

Violence during Covid-19 pandemic

Shadow Pandemic

National policy of Empowerment of Women 2001: An overview

Ways to promote women empowerment

Books and references

1. Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. Translated by H. M. Parshley. New York: Vintage Books. 1989.

2. Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge. 1990.

3.“Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal, vol. 40, no. 4. 1988, pp.519-531. Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

4. Menon, Nivedita. Seeing Like a Feminist. United Kingdom: Penguin Random House Private Limited. 2012.

5. Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. & quot; The Body in its Sexual Being, & quot; in The Phenomenology of Perception. Translated by Colin Smith. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul. 1962.

Instructor bio

Ningombam Shreema Devi

Department of Political Science, Nambol Sanoi College, Manipur

Ningombam Shreema Devi is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Nambol L. Sanoi College, Manipur. She has experience of teaching Political Science to undergraduate students for more than 11 years. She has been teaching Political Theory and Western Political Thought and other chapters related to women. She has received her MA and M. Phil degree from University of Delhi, New Delhi with specialisation in the area of International Relations. Her areas of interest are Northeast India, Gender Issues and Women’s Issues in the contemporary society of Manipur. To her credit, she has published articles in many journals. She has also contributed a few chapters in books. Along with these, she has presented a good number of papers in national and international conferences and seminars. In addition to these, she has attended and delivered lectures in workshops and conferences as resource person. She is also the co-author of an anthology of poems titled 'Tattooed with Taboos' dealing with women’s issues in Northeast India.

Course certificate

30 marks will be allocated for Internal Assessment and 70 Marks will be allocated for end term proctored examination. Securing 40% in both separately is mandatory to pass the course and get Credit Certificate.

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