Perceiving Feminism: Some Local Responses

Women’s activism in India: Negotiating secularism and religion

“…Within the women's movement in India, that goes back to the colonial era and the struggle for independence (see Ray 2002;Mehrotra 2002), one can observe different forms of participation of women in a variety of socio-economic movements with issues ranging from land reforms to, more recently, environment protection. The movement thus is not monolithic, but consists of a multiplicity of actors that include activists in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), autonomous women's associations, the Women's Initiative, a well-known feminist organization, and a host of other women's organizations including party-affiliated women's organizations.…”

“…The notion that there is "a feminist message" is also recognized as problematic, not only because there is no one "feminist message", but because some women's organizations refuse even to be identified as "feminist" arguing that there is no consensus even among women activists as to what this term as an ideology or practice actually means, to say nothing of what it means to the less educated or illiterate women (cf Mehrotra 2002)…”