Women and Empowerment in Contemporary India

"This book aims to introduce undergraduate students to the issues of gender which are part of the Generic Elective Course titled Contemporary Indias Women and Empowerment, under the CBCS system. It is designed to highlight topics which are part of this paper beginning with the social construction of gender and the definition of concepts of masculinity, femininity and patriarchy. The various chapters in the book provide an overview of the main topics including a history of the women's movement in India, women and law, ecofeminism, gender and caste, State interventions and voices of women in contexts as varied as Partition, Dalit discourse and early feminism. They give a detailed critical appraisal of specific texts thus making it easier for the students to assimilate and understand the relevant topics. In order to introduce students to state interventions through legal measures the book also includes excerpts from the Bare Acts related to Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment at the workplace. Brati Biswas is Associate Professor at Department of English, Dyal Singh College (Evening), University of Delhi. Ranjana Kaul is Associate Professor at Department of English, College of Vocational Studies, University of Delhi."