Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 1: Feminist Debates and Discourses

Course Credit: 4

Learning Objective

Students will be acquainted with:

• A brief overview of recent feminist theoretical approaches,
• A critical understanding of post modernism and structuralism as approaches to both feminist discourse and feminist critique,
• A critical overview and analysis of some contemporary key concepts,
• Ability to relate these contemporary issues to the context of Bangladesh.

Course Description

The course will briefly go through the feminist theoretical approaches in order to raise different views and debates around particular issues. The course will focus on a critical understanding of Postmodernism and Structuralism as approaches to feminist discourse and contemporary debates centring on different key concepts in feminist study. Identity, intersectionality, agency, and sexuality will be discussed.  Approaches and concepts will be applied to the analysis of controversial issues such as pornography, female foeticide, abortion, etc. The course will examine processes through which women become political subjects and agents of social change. In short, the course will attempt to question and problematize the categories of intersectionality, agency, sexuality and the like and recognize their changing meaning over time. Thus the course will broadly analyse how these key concepts intersect and are defined and produced as well as enacted by women and relate those in the context of Bangladesh.

Section 1: Contemporary Feminist Thoughts and Debates: An Overview

The section briefly introduces students to different feminist thoughts and theories that have evolved over time and space and how these have formed and contributed to the ongoing feminist movement.

Required Readings

1. Tong, R. Putam (1998). Feminist thoughts. Oxford, UK: Westview Press
2. Mohanty, C. T., Russo, A. and Torres, L. (Eds.). (1991). Third world women and the politics of feminism. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana UP.
3. Gunew, S. (1990). Feminist knowledge. Critique and construct. In: S. Gunew. Feminist knowledge. Critique and construct.  London: Routledge  [pp. 13-35]
4. John, M. E. (1996). Discrepant dislocations: Feminism, theory, and postcolonial histories. USA: University of California Press.
5. John, M. and Nair, J. (Eds). (1998) A question of silence? The sexual economies of modern India. Delhi: Kali for Women
6. Rajan, R. S. (1993). Real and imagined women: Gender, culture and postcolonialism. London: Routledge.

Recommended Reading:

1. Mills, S. (2003). Power/Knowledge. In: S. Mills. Michel  Foucault. London: Routledge [pp. 67-79]
2. Mohanty, C. (1991). Under western eyes: Feminist scholarship and colonial discourses. In: C. Mohanty et al (Eds.) Third world women and the politics of feminism. Indiana, USA: Indiana University Press.

Section Two: Postmodernism as a Method of Inquiry and Approach of Study

The section focuses particularly on postmodernism and structuralism as methods of feminist inquiry as well as a debated approach of study. Students will be introduced to current debates on postmodernism. Feminist positioning for and against postmodernism will be analysed based on the approaches of Judith Butler and Martha Nussbaum respectively. Particular positioning among feminists in the South Asia including Bangladesh on post modernism will also be examined.     

Required Readings:

1. Butler, J. (1999). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. London: Routledge.
2. Butler, J. and Scott, J. W. (Ed.). (1992). Feminists theorize the political. London: Routledge.
3. Nussbaum, M.  (1999). Sex and social justice. New York: Oxford University Press.
4. Benhabib, S. (1992). Situating the self: Gender, community, and postmodernism in contemporary ethics. London: Routledge.
5. Brodribb, S. (1992). Nothing mat(t)ers: A feminist critique of postmodernism. North Melbourne: Spinifex press.

Recommended Reading:

1. Nicholson, L. (Ed). (1990). Feminism/ Postmodernism. New York: Routledge
2. Weedon, C. (1997). Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory. London: Blackwell.
3. Mills, S. (1997). Discourse. Routledge.
4. Alcoff, L. (1995). Cultural feminism versus post-structuralism: The identity crisis in feminist theory. In: N. Tuana and R. P. Tong, Feminism and philosophy. Oxford: Westview Press.
5. Marchand, M.H. and Parpat, J. L. (Eds). (1994). Feminism/ Postmodernism/  Development. London: Routledge.

Section Three: Contemporary Feminist Debates: Selected Concepts

Tensions stemming from diverse understanding of key concepts in contemporary feminist thoughts with their critiques such as intersectionality, agency, empowerment and sexuality will be discussed in this section. These concepts will be applied to debate and discussion of key issues such as reproductive rights, media and representation, pornography etc.  

Required Readings:

1. Walsh, D. (1998). Structure/Agency. In: C. Jenks (Ed.). Core sociological dichotomies. London: Sage. [pp 8 – 34]
2. McNay, L. (2004). Agency and experience: Gender as a lived relation. Sociological Review 52 (2):175-90
3. Clegg, S. (2006). The problem of agency in feminism: A critical realist approach. Gender and Education 18 (3): 309-324
4. Crenshaw, K. (2001). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics and violence against women of color. Paper presented at the World Conference Against Racism. Retrieved from: www.hsph.harvard.edu/grhf/WoC/feminisms/crenshaw.html
5. Davis, K. (2008). Intersectionality as buzzword: A sociology of science perspective on what makes a feminist theory successful. Feminist Theory 9 (1): 67-85
6. Yuval-Davis, N. (2006). Intersectionality and feminist politics. European Journal of Women's Studies 13 (3):193-209

Recommended Readings:

1. Schneider, E. (1993). Feminism and the false dichotomy of victimization and agency. New York Law School Law Review 38 (1-4): 387-400
2. Gardiner, J. (1995). Provoking agents: Gender and agency in theory and practice. Urbana, USA: University of Illinois Press.
3. International Feminist Journal of Politics. 2003, 5(2), Special Issue on Women and Politics of Gender Transformation. 
4. Bachrach, P. and Baratz, M.S. (1970). Power and poverty: Theory and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
5. Sen, G. and S. Batliwala (2000). Empowering women for reproductive rights.  In: H. B. Presser and G. Sen (Eds.), Women's empowerment and demographic processes: Moving beyond Cairo. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Chapter 2: pp. 15-36].
6. Batliwala, S. (2006). The bigger picture: Sexuality and women’s empowerment - the fundamental connection. In Plainspeak 2.
7. Petchesky, R. (2005). Rights of the body and perversions of war: Sexual rights and wrongs ten years past Beijing. International Social Science Journal 57 :184: 301-318

Section Four:  Post Modernism: Challenges and Dilemmas for Future

This section discusses the future challenges and dilemmas for feminism. It will stress on moral dilemmas, reactionary forces and possible backlashes and impediments for a positive feminist future. 

Required Readings:

1. Mohanty, C. T. (2003). Feminism without borders: Decolonizing theory, practicing solidarity. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
2. Bryson, V. and Campling, J. (1999). Feminist debates issues of the theory and political practice. USA: New York University Press
3. Grewal, I. and Kaplan, C. (Ed.) (1994). Scattered hegemonies: Postmodernity and transnational feminist practices. USA: University of Minnesota Press.

Recommended Readings:

1. Shrage, L. (1994). Moral dilemmas of feminis: Prostitution, Adultery, and Abortion. New York: Routledge.
2. Chandhoke, N. (1994). Understanding the post-colonial world theory and method. New Delhi, India: Sterling Publishers.

Section-wise additional reading list

Section One: Contemporary Feminist Thoughts and Debates: An Overview

1. Agger, B. (1997). Gender, culture, and power: Toward a feminist postmodern critical theory. New Delhi: Sage Publications
2. Assiter, A. (1996). Enlightened women: Modernist feminism in a postmodern age. London: Routledge.
3. Benhabib, S. (1992). Situating the self: Gender, community, and postmodernism in contemporary ethics. London: Routledge.
4. Benhabib, S. et al. (1995). Feminist contentions: A philosophical exchange. London: Routledge.
5. diLeonardo, M. (1991). Gender at the crossroads of knowledge: Feminist anthropology in the postmodern era. USA: University of California Press
6. Elam, D. (1994). Feminism and deconstruction: Ms. en Abyme. London: Routledge.
7. Elam, D. and Wiegman, R. (Ed.). (1995). Feminism beside itself. London: Routledge.
8. Grewal, I. & Kaplan, C. (Ed.). (1994). Scattered Hegemonies: Postmodernity and Transnational Feminist Practices. USA: Univ. of Minnesota Press.
9. Hekman, S.J. (1992). Gender and knowledge: Elements of a postmodern feminism. Northeastern University Press.
10. Lather, P. (1991) Getting smart: Feminist research and pedagogy with/in the postmodern. London: Routledge.
11.  Marchand, M.H. and Parpart, J. (Ed.) (1994). Feminism /Postmodernism/ Development. London: Routledge.
12.  McCormick, R. W. (1991) Politics of the self: Feminism and the postmodern in West German literature and film. Princeton Univ. Press.
13. McNay, L. (1992) Foucault and feminism: Power, gender, and the self. Northeastern University Press.
14. Nicholson, L. (Ed). (1990). Feminism/ Postmodernism. New York: Routledge
15. Ramazanoglu, C. (Ed.) (1993) Up against Foucault: Exploration of some tensions between Foucault and feminism. London: Routledge.
16.  Yeatman, A. (1994). Postmodern revisionings of the political. London: Routledge.
     

Section Two: Postmodernism as a Method of Inquiry and Approach of Study

1. Giroux, H. A. (1991). Postmodernism, feminism, and cultural politics. New York: State University of New York Press.
2. Agger, B. (1997) Gender, culture, and power: Toward a feminist postmodern critical theory. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
3. Sarup, M. (1993). An introductory guide to post-structuralism and postmodernism. University of Georgia Press.
4. Flax, J. (1990). Postmodernism and gender relations in feminist theory. In: L. J. Nicholson (Ed.), Feminism/Postmodernism. New York: Routledge.
5. diLeonardo, M. (1991). Gender at the crossroads of knowledge: Feminist anthropology in the postmodern era. USA: University of California Press
6. Elam, D. (1994). Feminism and deconstruction: Ms. en Abyme. London: Routledge.
7. Elam, D. (1992). Romancing the postmodern. London: Routledge
8. Wicke, J. and Ferguson, M. (1994) Feminism and Postmodernism. Duke University Press. [Introduction: Feminism and postmodernism; or, the way we live now.]

Section Three: Contemporary Feminist Debates: Selected Concepts

1. Yuval-Davis, N. (2006). Intersectionality and feminist politics. European Journal of Women's Studies 13 (3):193-209
2. Brah, A. and Phoenix, A. (2004). Ain’t I a woman? Revisiting intersectionality. Journal of International Women’s Studies 5(3):75-86
3. Brubaker, R. and Cooper, F. (2000). Beyond identity. Theory and Society 29 (1):34-67
4. Kabeer, N. (2001). Empowerment from below: Learning from the grassroots. In: N. Kabeer. Reversed realities: Gender hierarchies in development thought. London: Verso.  [pp. 223 – 263]
5. Bryson, V. and Campling, J. (1999). Feminist debates issues of the theory and political practice. USA: New York University Press
6. Mahmood, S. (2003). Feminist theory, embodiment and the docile agent: Some reflections on the Egyptian Islamic revival. Cultural Anthropology 10(2): 202-236
7. Shaheed, F. (1999).The other side of discourse. Women's experiences of identity, religion and activism in Pakistan. In: P. Jeffery and A. Basu (Eds). Resisting the sacred and the secular. Women's activism and politicized religion in South Asia. Delhi: Kali for Women
8. Bloul, R. I, (1997). Victims or offenders? “Other” women in French sexual politics. In: K. Davis (Ed). Embodied practices. Feminist perspectives on the body. London: Sage [pp. 93 – 109]
9. Schiebinger, L. (1999). Theories of gender and race. In: Price, J. and Shildrick, M. (Eds). Feminist theory and the body: A reader. London: Routledge.  [pp. 21 – 31]
10. Kabeer, N.  (2001). Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment in discussing women’s empowerment. Theory and practice. Sidastudies 3: 17 - 57

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 2: Gender and Development: Issues and Debates

Course Credits: 4

Learning Objectives

Students will be acquainted with:

• An understanding of the concept of “development” and “gender” and its various dimensions,
• An understanding of the different development models/theories in addressing gender issues,
• Awareness of different approaches to gender and development,
• The ability to place women and gender issues in the perspective of contemporary development leading towards gender and development.

Course Description

This course provides a foundation on the critical understanding and analysis of the concepts of “gender” and “development”. It examines development theories/models of the past and provides an understanding of developing an alternate model of development for women in Third World countries. These issues are placed in the context of the emergence of women in the development/gender and development field and the various feminist perspectives which have contributed to it. Issues addressed in this course include the political participation of women, the empowerment process, vulnerability and poverty and gender environment and development (GED). The section also focuses on the role of stake holders in the development process (state, NGO, development partners etc.).

Course Outline 

Section 1:  Understanding Development and the Debate Around It

This section looks into socio-economic theories of development, and focuses on contemporary debates around development strategies and policies including structural adjustment, globalization, and the role of the state, governance, non-governmental organization and poverty alleviation.  Discussions will focus on the relationships between feminist actions and critiques and the practices of stake holders. Students will be exposed to following areas:

• The development and the role of the state and other development agencies,
• Development strategies and policies,
• Development in practice (poverty, human rights and globalization),
• Local and global financial interests.

Required Readings

1. Reddock, R. (2000). Why gender? Why development?. In: J. Parpart, M. P. Connelly and V. E. Barriteau (Eds). Theoretical perspectives on gender and development. Ottawa: IDRC [pp.233-250]
2. Snyder, M. (1995) Transforming development women, poverty and politics. London: Intermediate Technology Publications.
3. Pietila. H. and Vickers. J. (1994). Making women matter: The role of the United Nations. London: Zed Books Ltd.
4. Kabeer, N. (1994). Reversed realities: Gender hierarchies in development thought. London and New York: Verso.

Recommended Readings

1. Tinker, I. (Ed.). (1990). Persistent inequalities: Women and world development. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Boserup, E. (1970). Women’s role in economic development. St. Martin's Press: New York.
3. Sen, G. and Grown, C. (1985). Development crisis and alternative visions. London: Earthscan.
4. Momsen, J. H. (1991). Women and Development in the Third World.  London: Routledge.

Section 2: Gender and Development: Feminist Critiques and Contributions

This section focuses on feminist engagements with development theories, postmodernism and gender and development and the debates around it. It also introduces key concepts in the analysis of social relations between women and men in different cultural, economic, and political contexts in relation to gender and development. This includes examining the nature of gender inequality, the household as a construct and reviewing concepts of power and empowerment.  The section will also look into the historical journey of the recent developments in feminist theory and feminist methodology within a cross-cultural context.

• Theories and debates of gender and development from feminist perspectives,
• Background history of feminist science and methodology,
• Postmodernism and gender and development.

Required Readings

1. Visvanathan, N. (Ed.). (1997).The women, gender and development reader. Dhaka: University Press Limited.
2. Momsen, J. H. (1991).  Women and development in the third world.  London: Routledge.
3. Marchand, H. M. and Parpart, L. J. (Ed.). (1995). Feminism/ Postmodernism/ Development. London: Routledge.
4. Mies. M. (2005). Search for a new vision. Dhaka: Narigrantha Prabartana.

Recommended Readings

1. Kabeer, N. (1994). Reversed realities: Gender hierarchies in development thought. London and New York: Verso.
2. Haider, R. (1995). A perspective in development - gender focus. Dhaka University Press Limited.
3. Batliwala, S. (1985). Empowerment of women in South Asia. In: Sen, G. and Grown, C. . Development crisis and alternative visions. London: Earthscan
4. Goetz, M. A. (2001). Women development workers implementing rural credit programme in Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Ltd.
5. Walby, S. (1996). The declining significance or the ‘changing forms’ of patriarchy?. In: V. M. Moghadam (Ed). Patriarchy and economic development: Women's positions at the end of the twentieth century. Oxford University Press.   
6. Agarwal. B. (Ed.) (2006). Capabilities, freedom, and equality, Amartya Sen’s work from a gender perspective. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
7. Bandarage, A. (1984). Women in development: Liberalism, Marxism and Marxist-Feminism.  Development and Change 15 (3): 495 - 515.
8. Chen, M.  (1990). Poverty, gender and work in Bangladesh. In: L. Dube and R. Palriwala (Eds). Structures and strategies, women, work and family. Women and Household in Asia. Vol.3. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Section 3:  Empowerment as a Development Approach: Bangladesh Perspectives 

This section explores the link between development policies and approaches relating to gender and concept of empowerment and the role of the development agencies in this connection. The section also focuses on social transformation and achieving gender equality and its link with participatory approach to development as well as women at the community level. Topics include: definition of empowerment; empowerment as a concept as well as a process; empowerment of women—economic empowerment, social empowerment, political empowerment.

Required Readings

1. Batliwala, S. (1994). The meaning of women's empowerment: New concepts from action. In: G. Sen, A. Germain and L. Chen (Eds.). Population policies reconsidered: Health, empowerment, and rights from action. USA: Harvard School of Public Health.
2. Hashemi, S., Schuler, S. and Riley, P.A. (1996). Rural credit programs and women's empowerment in Bangladesh. World Development 24 (4): 635-653.
3. Mikkelsen, B. (1995). Methods for development work and research: A guide to Practitioners. India: Sage Publications

Recommended Readings

1. Batliwala, S. (1990). Empowerment of women in South Asia. AWID Publications.
2. Carr, M., Chen, M. and Jhabvala, R. (1996). Speaking out: Women's economic empowerment in South Asia. Dhaka: UPL.
3. Papart, J, Rai, M.S. and Staudt, K. (Eds.). (2002). Rethinking empowerment—Gender and development in a global/local World. London and New York: Routledge.
4. Karl. M. (1995). Women and empowerment participation and decision making. London, New Jersey: Zed Books Ltd
5. Mahmud, S. (1988). Whither women in development - Some real issues. A paper presented in a workshop on Alternative ways of Development. Dhaka.

Section 5: Gender and Development: The NGO Approach

This section focuses on NGO approaches to women, gender and development in Bangladesh. Mainstreaming gender equality tries to ensure that women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences are integral to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Course contents include: conceptualizing the role of women in the planning and the implementation process, financial allocation for gender and development, mandates of various feminist organizations and development partners in Bangladesh.

• The emergence of NGOs in Bangladesh and the development process - critical understanding,
• State-power and women’s political participation -  feminist perspectives,
• Conceptualizing the role of women in the planning and the implementation process: plans and women: emerging public policy framework; First (1973-78),   Second (1980-85), Third (1985-90) and Fourth Five year (1990-95),

• National policies on women, PRSP and MDG, CEDAW and Beijing +5 in Bangladesh,

• Gender budgeting,
• Mandates of various feminist organizations and development partners in Bangladesh.

Required Readings

1. Clark, J. (1991). Democratizing development: The role of voluntary organizations. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
2. Begum, A. (2000). Government–NGO interface in development management. Dhaka: A H Development Publishing House.
3. Goetz, M. A. (Ed.). (1997). Getting institutions rights for women in development. London: Zed Books.
4. Taylor, V. (2000). Marketisation of governance. University of Cape Town, South Africa: SADEP.
5. Moser, C. O. N. (1989). Gender planning and development: Theory, practice and training. London and New York: Routledge.

Recommended Readings

1. Hossain, F. (2001). Administration of development initiatives by non-governmental organizations. Ph. D. thesis. Tampere, Finland: University of Tampere.
2. Holloway, R. (1998). Supporting citizen’s initiative; Bangladesh NGOs and society.  Dhaka: University Press Limited.
3. Hossain, H., Dodge and Abed (Eds) (1992). From Crisis to Development, Coping with Disasters
4. Carr, M., Chen, M., and Jhabvala, R. (1996). Speaking out: Women's Economic empowerment in South Asia. Delhi: Vistaar Publication.
5. Mahmud, S. (2003). Actually how empowering is microcredit? Development and Change 34 (4)
6. Jahan. R. (1995). The elusive agenda: Mainstreaming women in development. Dhaka: University Press Limited
7. Farrington, J. and Lewis, J. D. (Eds.). (1993). Non-governmental organizations and the state in Asia.  London: Routledge.
8. Chowdhury, A. N. (1989).  Let grassroots speak, people's participation, self-help groups and NGOs in Bangladesh.  Dhaka: University Press Limited.
9. Kabeer, N. (2000) The power to choose. London: Verso. [pp. 142 – 192].
10. Mizan, A. N.  (1994). In quest of empowerment: The grameen bank impact on women's power and status. Dhaka: University Press Limited.
11. Young, K. (1993). Development planning with women: Making a world of difference.  London: MacMillan Press.

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 3: Feminist Research Methodology: Theory and Practice

Course Credit:  4

Learning objectives

Students will be acquainted with:

• The historical and theoretical development of feminist approaches to research and scholarship,
• A variety of research techniques and methods used by feminist researchers such as textual and visual analysis, ethnography, historiography, comparative case study, survey, etc.
• The ethical dilemmas of representation and the politics of feminist inquiry to critically assess the importance of research design and the strategies involved in collecting, interpreting, and analyzing primary materials.

Course Description

This course mainly deals with advance methodological issues exposing students to various stages of research related to women and gender studies. This course also introduces students to feminist critiques of and contributions to social science. Feminist researchers have favoured qualitative research as it offers the possibility of giving voice to the silenced and of illuminating marginalized perspectives. This approach to sociological inquiry can only be learned through total immersion in the work itself. Feminist social science also raises questions for itself as well: what are the implications for feminist research of the differences among women? Of the inevitable power inequities between the researcher and the researched? This course will explore all of these questions. The course provides graduate students with an overview of feminist methodological issues and dilemmas and an introduction to a variety of research techniques and methods.

Course Outline

Section 1: Feminist Challenges to Social Science

The section discusses feminist challenges towards traditional social science research with a view to destabilizing objectivity.

• Feminist research and its history,
• Contribution to a feminist understanding and science,
• Debate around feminist science and methodology,
• Relationship of researcher to research subjects.

Required Readings

1. Hesse-Biber, S. N., Yaiser, M. L. (Eds). (2004). Feminist perspectives on social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Ramazanoglu, C. (2002). Feminist methodology ^- Challenges and choices. CA, USA: Sage.
3. Mies. M. (2005). Search for a new vision. Dhaka: Narigrantha Prabartana.

Recommended Readings

1. DeVault, M. (1999). Liberating method: Feminism and social research. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Section 2: Research Ethics in Feminist Research

Research ethics is an important area to bring objectivity in the research. This section deals with issues and debates concerning research ethics, its dilemmas and importance to feminist research.

• Debates and issues of subjectivity and objectivity in feminist research.
• Dilemmas and significance of research ethics in feminist research.

Required Readings:

1. Hesse-Biber, S. N., Yaiser, M. L. (Eds). (2004). Feminist perspectives on social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Ramazanoglu, C. (2002). Feminist methodology ^- Challenges and choices. CA, USA: Sage.

Recommended Readings:

1. Lather, P. (1991). Getting smart: Feminist research and pedagogy within/in the postmodern. New York: Routledge.

Section 3: Feminist Epistemology

Feminist epistemology is an important discussion in the area of feminist research and feminist knowledge production. The section focuses on the significance and debates of having feminist epistemology to bring women’s voices to the forefront.

Required Readings:

1. Harding, S. (Ed.). (1987). Feminism and methodology. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
2. Lather, P. (1991). Getting smart: Feminist research and pedagogy within/in the postmodern. New York: Routledge.

Recommended Readings

1. Fonow, M.M. and Cook, A. (Eds.). (1991). Beyond methodology: Feminist scholarship as lived research. Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Section 4: Feminist Standpoint Theory

Feminist Standpoint Theory, one of the significant streams of feminist theorizing, will be discussed in this section highlighting the ways it has contributed to feminist research techniques.

• The Feminist Standpoint Theory
• Its contributions to feminist research techniques

Required Readings

1. Harding, S. (Ed.). (1987). Feminism and methodology. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
2. Ramazanoglu, C. (2002). Feminist methodology ^- Challenges and choices. CA, USA: Sage.

Recommended Readings

1. DeVault, M. (1999). Liberating method: Feminism and social research. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Section 5: Introduction to Qualitative Research and Feminist Research

The section gives an overview of different research methods emphasizing Qualitative research as a method of inquiry for feminist research. The section also highlights the shift of feminist research methods from its traditional form.

• Qualitative research methods and feminist research.

Required Readings

1. Hesse-Biber, S. N., Yaiser, M. L. (Eds). (2004). Feminist perspectives on social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Ramazanoglu, C. (2002). Feminist methodology ^- Challenges and choices. CA, USA: Sage.
3. Visweswaran, K. (1994). Fictions of feminist ethnography. USA: University of Minnesota Press.

Recommended Readings

1. Mies. M. (2005). Search for a new vision. Dhaka: Narigrantha Prabartana.

2. DeVault, M. (1999). Liberating method: Feminism and social research. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Section 6: Issues of Interpretation

The section covers issues of interpretation in relation to writing ethnographic field notes, oral history and other methodologies. Challenges of working with groups and dilemmas with regard to feminist research will be highlighted.

Required Readings

1. Sharlene, N., Yaiser, M. L. (Eds). (2004). Feminist perspectives on social research. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Ramazanoglu, C. (2002). Feminist methodology ^- Challenges and choices. CA, USA: Sage.
3. DeVault, M. (1999). Liberating method: Feminism and social research. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
4. Emerson, R. M. (1987). Contemporary field research: A collection of readings. Prospect Heights, IL, USA: Waveland.
5. Emerson, R. M. (1995). Writing ethnographic field notes. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.

Recommended Readings

1. Fonow, M.M. and Cook, A. (Eds.). (1991). Beyond methodology: Feminist scholarship as lived research. Indiana: Indiana University Press.
2. Gluck, S. and Patai, D. (Eds.). (1991) Women's words: The feminist practice of oral history. London: Routledge.

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 4: Gender, Citizenship and Governance

Course Credit: 4

Learning Objectives

Students will be acquainted with:   

• Theories on gender, governance and citizenship, various interpenetrations of social and cultural concepts of gender and citizenship, nation, nationalism and governance,
• The skill of critiquing the concept of ‘good governance’,
• The ability to understand the Bangladesh context and apply the knowledge through the gender lens. 

Course Description

The course takes on three broad concepts of gender, governance and citizenship, and looks into the different theories and debates that surround these. In doing so, it examines issues like nation, state, nationalism, nationalist struggles, democracy, good governance etc in relation to gender as well as feminism. It will look into women’s roles and position in the state, politics, women’s roles, positions and agenda in national liberal struggles around the world and how women’s role and representations can be increased as well as ensured in politics at all levels through different mechanisms. This course will keep a global, historical perspective, but will simultaneously maintain a closer look at the local context, thus every issue/concept is placed within the local context.

Course Outline

Section 1: Conceptual Issues

The introductory section starts with concepts of nation, nationalism and its link to gender. It also discusses the issue of ethnicity within the nation/nationalism discourse and how these issues and concepts are linked to each other. Issues like state, nation, nationalism, ethnicity, gender, issues on governance and good governance will also be discussed.

Required Readings

1. Ivekovic, R. and Mostov, J. (Eds.). (2001). From gender to nation. Italy: Longo Editore Ravenna.
2. Baradat, L. (2000). Political ideologies their origin and impact. USA: Palatino Publications.
3. Pateman,C. and Lyndon Shanley, M. (Ed). (1991). Feminist interpretations and political theory. Pennsylvania State University Press.
4. Vickers, J. (1997). Re-inventing political science: A feminist approach. Canada: Fernwood Publishing. 

Recommended Readings:

1. Moore, C. (2003). Women vs. the nation state:  A manifesto by Carol Moore. Retrieved from: http://www.carolmoore.net/articles/woman-v-nationstate.html

Section 2: Gender, Feminism and the State: Issues of Citizenship

This section examines how feminists have viewed the state and women’s role/position within it. This section also explores how women’s relation with the state, in terms of politics, population, governance, health, education, law etc. is constructed. Also identity and difference are perhaps the most discussed concepts in recent times when state and governance is concerned. When these concepts are meshed with gender, they become more challenging and intriguing. This section focuses on what identity, difference and related politics are. These concepts will be especially studied from the perspective of politics, quality and citizenship. Bangladesh will be placed here as a case study for this section. Relevant films, documentaries and fictions can/will be used as a starting point for this section.

Required Readings:

1. Butalia, U. (1996).  Nationalism: Mother India. The New Internationalist. Retrieved from: http://www.newint.org/issue277/contents.html.
2. Randell, V. K. and  Waylen, G. (1998). Gender, politics and the state. London: Routledge.
3. Bok, G. and James, S. (Ed). (1992). Beyond equality and difference. London: Routledge.
4. Faulk, K. (1996). Citizenship. London: Routledge

Recommended Readings

1. Yuval-Davis, N. and  Werbner, P. (Eds). (2005). Women, citizenship and differences.  London: Zed Books
2. Ivekovic, R. and Mostov, J. (Eds.). (2001). From gender to nation. Italy: Longo Editore Ravenna.
3. Phillips, A. (1998). Feminism and politics. New York: Oxford University Press.

Section 3:  National Liberation Struggles and Women

This section traces women’s roles, positions and agenda in national liberal struggles around the world and examines whether women’s movements and women’s issues benefit from these struggles and movements. More emphasis will be given on the Indian subcontinent’s history of nationalist struggles. The case of the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle will be emphasized. 

Required Readings:

1. Liddle, J. and  Joshi, R. (1986). Daughters of independence: Gender, caste and class in India. London: Zed Book
2. Davies, M. (1987). Third world, second sex: Women’s struggles and national liberation. London: Zed books

Recommended Readings:

1. Ivekovic, R. and Mostov, J. (Eds.). (2001). From gender to nation. Italy: Longo Editore Ravenna.

Section 4:  Democracy: Gender Dimensions

This section introduces the concepts of democracy, especially with liberal democracy, and debate how and/or whether democracy is beneficial to women, what impact democracy can have on women’s issues, their positions especially in formal politics etc. The main topic to be covered is the model of liberal democracy and how the women/gender issues are dealt within this system, especially in the context of South Asia.

Required Readings

1. Finer, H. (1949). Theory and practice of modern government. Methuen
2. Afshar, H. (1996).  Women and politics in the third world. London and New York: Routledge.
3. The UNESCO Courier. (2000). Unfinished democracy. Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_06/uk/doss22.htm
4. Jahangir, B.K. (2002). Nationalism, fundamentalism and democracy in Bangladesh. Dhaka: International Center for Bengal Studies. 

Recommended Readings:

1. Kessel, I. van and  Jansen, Y. (1999). Is democracy good for women? The impact of democratic transitions on representation of women in the national parliaments of Southern Africa. The Hague, Netherlands: Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa; Institute of Social Studies.

Section 5: Gender and Citizenship

This section will have ‘citizenship’ as the topic of study: what are the different concepts/ theories of citizenship, its history and women’s position within this discourse, especially within the theoretical and historical discourse. This section will study the feminist perspectives of citizenship. Students will be encouraged to conceptualize gender and citizenship within the South Asia with special focus on Bangladesh. The main topic/s to be covered: gender issues in citizenship and False Universalism.

Required Readings:

1. Lister, R. (1997) Citizenship: Feminist perspectives. London: Macmillian Press
2. Roy, A. (2005).Gendered citizenship: Historical and conceptual exploration. Hydrabad, India: Orient Longman.
3. Yuval-Davis, N. (1997).  Women, citizenship and difference. Feminist Review 57: 4 -27. Retrieved from: http://www.siyanda.org/docs/davis_citizendifference.pdf
4. Kabeer, N. (Ed). (2005). Inclusive Citizenship: Meanings and expressions. London: Zed Books
5. Faulks, K. (1992). Citizenship. London: Routledge
6. Yuval-Davis, N. and Werbner, P. (Eds). (2005). Women, citizenship and differences.  London: Zed Books

Recommended Readings:

1. Heater, D. (2002). What is citizenship?. Cambridge: Polity
2. Hijab, N.  Women are citizens too: The laws of the state, the lives of women.  UNDP: Regional Bureau for Arab States. Retrieved from: http://www.undp-pogar.org/publications/gender/nadia/summary.pdf

Section 6: Gender and Governance

This section focuses on the concept of governance, especially what constitutes ‘good governance’, and also whether there is anything like ‘good governance’ or not. How gender should be a vital component of good governance is also an issue that is explored as is how gender-mainstreaming can be ensured through good governance by examining case-studies from different South Asian countries. The main topics to be covered are:

• Governance, Administration and Bureaucracy;
• Characteristics of ‘Good Governance.’
• Critique of the concept ‘governance’
• Gender and governance, women’s representation in local government.

Required Readings:

1. Rai, S. and Waylen, G. (Ed). (2008). Global governance: Feminist perspectives. UK. Palgrave Macmillan. 
2. KIT (Royal Tropical Institute). Gender, society and development, gender, citizenship and governance. A global source book. The Netherlands: CRITICAL REVIEWS AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES SERIES KIT (Royal Tropical Institute).
3. Mishra-Panda, S. Gender issues in governance.
4. Muhith, AMA. (2001). Issues of governance in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Mowla Brothers. 
5. Siddiqui, K. (1996). Towards good governance in Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited. 
6. Firoj, J. (2007).  Women in Bangladesh parliament. Dhaka: A H Development Publishing House.

Recommended Readings:

1. Charlesworth, H, (2000). Gender and governance in international law. Development Bulletin 51: 10-12. Australian National University: Gender and governance in international law. Centre for International and Public Law.
2. Muhith, AMA. (2001). Issues of governance in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Mowla Brothers. 
3. Duerst-Lahti and MacKelly. (1995) Gender, power, leadership and governance. USA: University of Michigan Press.
4. Hye, H. A. (Ed). (2000). Governance: South Asian perspectives.  Dhaka: UPL.
5. Hasan, S. (2007). Women in Bangladesh local government. Dhaka: A H Development Publishing House. 

Section 8: State, Gender and Affirmative Action

The section discusses women and social policies; ensuring women’s representation; and women’s presence in politics. It also discusses the issue of Quota, especially in the context of Bangladesh. It examines whether engendering political parties can be a solution to ensure women’s place in formal politics or not.

Required Readings:

1. Haleh, A. (1996). Women and Politics in The Third World. London: Routledge
2. Nelson, B.J. and Chowdhury, N. (1994). Women and politics worldwide. London: Yale University Press,
3. Karam, A. (1998). Women in parliament: Beyond numbers. Sweden:  IDEA
4. Khanom, J. (1996). Women and politics in Bangladesh. Dhaka  
5. Stree Publications (Ed). (2001). And who will make the chapatis? A study of all-women Panchayats in Maharashtra. Kolkata: Stree Publications.

Recommended Readings:

1. Staudt, K. (1998). Policy politics and gender: Women gaining grounds. West Hartford
2. Edert, F. (1993) Women in politics: Forms and process. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications
3. Ghosh, J. (2000). Political participation of women in West Bengal. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 5: Women in South Asia: A Comparative Perspective

Course Credit: 4

Learning Objectives

Students will be acquainted with:

• A comparative perspective on the situation of women in South Asia,
• The commonalities as well as the contextual specificities of gender relations in the region across caste/class/ethnicity and spatial dimensions,
• Strategies and policies for women’s empowerment in the region,
• South Asian women’s struggle for equality.

Course Description

The course provides a cross cultural and comparative perspective on what is specific about the South Asian region (specifically Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka). It covers processes of social change, economic development and issues such as the relationship between gender and poverty, education, health, employment, violence against women and identity politics in contemporary South Asia. The course will focus on women’s participation in the post-independence and the social movements and the strategies of the women’s movements and non-governmental organizations in the region, identifying the implications of the gendered dimensions of globalization and militarism from a regional perspective. There will be assessment and comparison of experiences in the region related to good governance, legal reforms and implementation of international human rights instruments etc.

Course Outline 

Section 1:  Introduction and Overview

This section presents an introduction focusing mainly on the background situation of each country, specifically on the myths and realities, historical incidents; an analysis of the situation of women in these countries. The analysis will focus on the key areas of concern, such as the position of women’s rights, legal instruments to fight against women’s vulnerable position, progress and achievements made both by the state and NGOs; the impact of international treatise, instruments to address women’s problems. More specifically, constitutions, governance and laws of each country will be discussed in detail.

Required Readings:

1. Huq, M. ul (2000). Human development report: The gender question. Dhaka: University Press Ltd.
2. Edwards, L. and Roces, M. (Ed.) (2000). Women in Asia: Tradition, modernity and globalization. Women in Asia Publication Series. Allen and Urwin.
3. Clark, A. W. (Ed.) (1993). Gender and political economy: Explorations of South Asian systems. Delhi & New York: Oxford University Press.    

Recommended Readings:

1. Jahan, R. (1995). The elusive agenda: Mainstreaming women in development. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

Section 2: Sharing History: Colonial Heritage

          This section starts with the historical background of the country. It focuses on a comparative situation of the role of women in the independence movement. Commonalities and differences in relation to the colonial heritage will be discussed. More specifically, the impact of war and militarization will be dealt with in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. Commonalities and differences. The section evaluates how women from South Asia have constituted themselves as a legitimate force against the West, militarism and fundamentalism.

Required Readings:

1. Chowdhury, A.M. and  Alam, F. (Ed). (2002). Bangladesh on the threshold of the twenty-first century. Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
2. Jayaveera, S. (Ed.) (2002). Women in post-independence Sri Lanka. New Delhi: Sage Publications. 
3. Kumar, N. (Ed.) (1994). Women as subjects: South Asian histories. USA: University Press of Virginia.
    

Recommended Readings

1. Desia, N. (1988). A decade of women’s movement in India. Bombay, Delhi, Nagpur: Himalaya Publishing House.

Section 3: Women and Poverty

This section analyses the situation of women and poverty, in the South Asian countries included in the course, identifying the main reasons for women’s poverty, the extent and magnitude of poverty. It will focus on the different dimensions of poverty in these countries, and the strategies adopted both by the government and the non-governmental organizations in addressing women’s poverty in each country.

Required Readings:

1. Wee, V. and Heyzer, N. et al. (1996). Gender, poverty and sustainable development: Towards a holistic framework. USA: Weatherhill

Recommended Readings:

1. Daley-Harris, S. (Ed.). (2002). Pathways out of poverty. Kumarian Press.

Section 4:  South Asian Women: Movements and Struggles For Equality

This section focuses on the situation of women’s vulnerability and deals with the magnitude of violence against women in South Asian countries. It starts with identifying the main causes of violence, describing the different categories. The major interventions to prevent and stop violence against women adopted both by the government and NGOs will be discussed. UN Human Rights instruments (such as the CEDAW) will be discussed in detail.

Required Readings

1. Jahan, R. and Islam, M. (1997). Violence against women in Bangladesh: Analysis and action. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Women for Women and South Asian Association for Women’s Studies.
2. French, S. G. et al. (Ed.) (1998). Violence against women: Philosophical perspectives. London: Cornell University Press.
3. Ahuja, R. (1998). Violence Against Women. Jaipur and New Delhi: Rawat Publications.
4. Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA). (2000-2005). Report on violence against women. Dhaka: BNWLA
5. Sardar Ali, S. (Ed.). (2006). Conceptualising Islamic law, CEDAW and women’s human rights in plural legal settings. New Delhi, India: UNIFEM, South Asia Regional Office.
6. Agarwal, B.  (1996). A field of one’s own: Gender and land rights in South Asia. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press.
    

Recommended Readings:

1. UNIFEM. (2004). Report of the South Asia regional consultation on CEDAW. New Delhi: UNIFEM.

Section 5: Women Leadership and Governance

          This section emphasizes the political participation of women in the South Asian context. More specifically, it analyzes women’s political leadership in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The role of women leaders in these countries both at the national and local level will be granted focus, in the perspective of good governance. Success stories will be emphasized as a learning process for other countries. The obstacles of women political leadership in these countries will be analyzed.

Required Readings

1. Afshar, H. (Ed.). (1996). Women and politics in the third world. London and New York: Routledge.
2. Lowe Morna, C. (Ed.).(2004). Ringing up the changes. South Africa: Gender Links.

Recommended Readings:

1. Kaushik, S. (1993). Women and Panchayat Raj  India: Har Anand Publications.

Section 6:  Globalization and Its Impact on South Asian Women:

This section focuses on aspects of globalization; how women and the poor fare; globalization and women’s work; the World Trade Organization and the status of women in the South Asian countries; women, globalization and trafficking; challenges of globalization for these countries. Causes of migration in the context of South Asian countries under study will be discussed. The impact of migration on women will be examined and the benefits and disadvantages of migration will also be explored. 

Required Readings:

1. Krishna, S. (2004). Globalization and people’s development choices. Netherlands: Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries.
2. Petras, J.  and  Veltmeyer, H. (2001). Globalization unmasked: Imperialism in the 21st century. India: Madhyam Books.
3. Bhattacharya, M. (Ed.). (2004). Globalization. India: Tulika Books & School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University.
4. Wee,V. (1998). Trade liberalization: Challenges and opportunities for women in Southeast Asia and beyond. UNIFEM and Engender Press.
5. Heyzer, N. and Wee, V. (1994).  Domestic workers in transient overseas employment: Who benefits, who profits?  In N. Heyzer et al. (Ed.), The trade in domestic workers: Causes, mechanisms and consequences of international migration. London: Zed Books.
6. Truong, T. D.  (2003) The human rights question in the global sex trade. In: K. Arts and P. Mihyo (Eds.). Responding to the human rights deficit: Essays in honour of Bas de Gaay Fortman. Kluwer Law International. [pp. 185 – 201]
    

 Recommended Readings

1. Sobhan, R. and Khundker, N. (Eds). (2001). Globalization and gender. Dhaka: Centre for Policy Dialogue and University Press Limited.
2. Sassen, S. (2000). Women’s Burden: Counter geographies of globalization and feminization of survival. Journal of International Affairs 53 (2): 503 – 524.
3. Sassen, S. (2004).  Economic globalization and world migration as factors in the mapping of today's advanced urban economy. [pp. 29] Retrieved from: http://www.globalgrn.org/publications/Sassen.pdf
    

Country-wise Additional Reading List:

Bangladesh

1. Dannecker, P. (2005). Transnational migration and transformation of gender relations: the case of Bangladeshi labour migrants. Current Sociology 53 (4): 655 - 674
    

Nepal

1. Cameron, M. (1998). On the edge of the auspicious: Gender and Caste in Nepal. USA: University of Illinois Press.
2. Acharya, M. and  Lynn, B.  (1981). Rural women of Nepal: An aggregate analysis and summary of 8 village studies. In: The Status of Women in Nepal. Volume II, Part 9: Field Studies. Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University. Centre for Economic Development and Administration.

Pakistan

1. Simorgh Collective and Hussain N. (1996). Reinventing women: Representation of women in the media during the Zia years. Lahore, Pakistan : Simorgh Women's Resource and Publication Centre.

Sri Lanka

1. Asian Development Bank. (1999). Women in Sri Lanka: Country briefing paper, May 1999, [pp 56].
2. Bourke-Martignoni, J. (2002).  Implementation of the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. Report prepared for the Committee on the elimination of Discrimination against Women. Sri Lanka: The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) [pp. 54]. Retrieved from:
   http://www.omct.org/pdf/vaw/srilankaeng2002.pdf
3. CENWOR. (2001). Female migrant workers of Sri Lanka: Violence against migrant workers. Colombo: Centre for Women’s Research.
4. De Silva, T. (2000).  A study of social impact of overseas migration of women. In: CENWOR (Ed.), Sri Lanka women and contemporary social problems. Sinahala, Colombo: CENWOR.
5. De Soysa, N. (2000). The truth behind Sri Lanka’s gender development statistics. Third World Network. September 2000. Retrieved from: www.twnside.org.sg.
6. Eelens, F. (1995). Migration of Sri Lankan women to Western Asia.  In UN, International Migration Policies and the Status of Female Migrants. Proceeding of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Migration Policies and the Status of Female Migrants. San Miniato, Italy, 28-31 March 1990. New York: UN [pp. 267 – 277]
7. Eelens, F. and Schampers, A. J. (1990) Sri Lankan housemaids in the Middle East, Genus 46 (3-4): 97 - 107.
8. Gamburd, M. R. (2002). Transnationalism and Sri Lanka’s migrant housemaids: The kitchen spoon’s handle. Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications.
9. Grossholtz, J. (1984). Forging capitalist patriarchy: The economic and social transformation of feudal Sri Lana and its impact on women. Durham: Duke University Press.
10. Gunasekera, S. (2002). Governance and law. In: S. Jayaweera (Ed.), Women in post independence Sri Lanka. New Delhi: Sage. [pp. 15-40]
11. Jayawardena, K. (1986). Emancipation and subordination of women in Sri Lanka. In: K. Jayawardena, Feminism and nationalism in the third world. London: Zed Books. [pp. 109 – 36]
12. Jayaweera, S. (2002). Fifty years since political independence: An overview in women in post independence Sri Lanka.  In: S. Jayaweera (Ed.), Women in post independence Sri Lanka. New Delhi: Sage. [pp. 41 – 78]
13. Jayaweera, S. (2003). Continuity and change: Women workers in garment and textile industries in Sri Lanka. In: S. Mukhopadhyay and R. M. Sudharshan (Eds.), Tracking gender equity under economic reforms, continuity and change in South Asia. India: Kali for Women and International Development Research Center, Canada.
14. Kottegoda, S. (2004). Negotiating household politics: Women’s strategies in urban Sri Lanka. Colombo: Social Scientists Association.
15. Kurian, R. (1989). Women’s work, male domination and controls over income among plantation workers in Sri Lanka. In: H. Afshar and B. Agarwal (Eds.). Women, poverty and ideology in Asia: Contradictory pressures, Uneasy resolutions. London: MacMillan Press.
16. Malhotra, A. & Mather (1997). Do schooling and work empower women in developing countries? Gender and domestic decisions in Sri Lanka. Sociological Forum12 (4): 590 – 630.
17. Risseeuw, C. (1989). The fish don’t talk about the water: Gender transformation, power and resistance among women in Sri Lanka. Leiden and New York: E. J. Brill
18. Risseeuw, C. (1992). Gender, kinship and state formation: Case of Sri Lanka under colonial rule. Economic and political weekly. October 24-31:46-54.
19. Ruwanpura, K. (2003). The survival strategies of Sinhala female-heads in conflict-affected eastern Sri Lanka, Working Paper No. 11: 50. Geneva: International Labour Office, Infocus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction, Recovery and Reconstruction Department.
20. Thiruchandran, S. (1997). Ideology, caste, class and gender. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House.

India

1. Bagwe, A. (1995). Of woman caste: The experience of gender in rural India. Kolkata: Stree and Zed books.
2. Jeffery, P., Jeffery, R. and Lyon, A. (1989). Labour pains and labour power: Women and childbearing in India. N.J., USA: Zed Books.
3. John, M. and Nair, J. (Eds). (1998). A question of silence? The sexual economies of modern India. New Delhi: Kali for Women.
4. Sangari, K., Vaid, S. (Eds.). (1990). Recasting women: Essays in Indian colonial history.  New Delhi: Kali for Women.
5. Bagilhole, B. (1997). Sexual violence in India: "Eve-teasing" as backlash. In: A. M. Thomas and C. Kitzinger (Eds). Sexual harassment. Contemporary feminist perspective. Open University Press.
6. Jeffrey, P. and Jeffery, R. (1996). Don't marry me to a plowman! Women's everyday lives in rural North India. Westview Press.
7. Kapadia, K. (1995). Siva and her sisters: Gender, caste, and class in rural South India. Westview Press
8. Kapur, R. and Crossman, B. (1996). Subversive sites: Feminist engagements with law in India. New Delhi: Kali for Women.

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 6: Gender, Poverty and Livelihood/Thesis

Course Credit: 4

Learning Objectives

Students will be acquainted with:   

• A broad overview of poverty as a concept and debate in the area of development emphasizing poverty as an overarching factor in Bangladesh,
• An ability to develop a critical mind towards the gender dimension of poverty, vulnerability, resilience, exclusion and interaction between global and local processes,
• The necessary knowledge to apply gender as an analytical tool to the analysis of development policy and planning in practice with reference to changing conditions of livelihood, poverty and vulnerability,
• Oral, writing, analytical and practical skills through case study presentations, group discussions, film review, and project and policy evaluation.

Course Description

This course is designed to equip students with an analytic appreciation of different approaches to defining and assessing poverty. It will examine the work of leading poverty theorists in the light of gender, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The concept and measurement of inequality will be treated with special attention exploring the relationships between gender, poverty and livelihood. The course will examine the impact of economic growth and social development on poverty and gender and vice versa.

This course discusses historical trends of globalization and its impact on gender and livelihood with particular reference to the labour market and household (exploring the case of RMG and shrimp in Bangladesh).The course also examines the intra and inter household incidence of relative deprivation and poverty with special emphasis on the feminization of poverty and analyzes the changes in intra household bargaining, consumption patterns and reconstitution of gender relations. A range of policy responses and strategies (global to local) will also be examined.

A brief discussion on current policy debates, including the origins and implementation of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) will be analyzed.

A broad overview of how women are situated in the context of Bangladesh discussing the issues around power, agency, entitlement, access and re conceptualizing household inequality will be elaborated. Women under various categories of the poverty situation i.e. urban and rural poverty, natural and social disasters and its impact on livelihood and resilience from the Bangladesh perspective will also be analyzed. Particular attention will be given to current trends, changes and shifts in the poverty situation in women’s lives as result of NGO activities and programs, government responses and various national and international interventions.

Course Outline

Section 1: Concepts of Poverty

The section apprises the students of the conceptual framework underlying current discussions on poverty, and to introduce some issues related to its measurement such as the Uni-dimensional, quantitative and absolute concept of poverty (WB, IMF, Neo Classical Economics) and looking at the multidimensional, qualitative and relative concept of poverty (Marxist school and A. K. Sen. etc.)

Required Readings

1. Sen, A.K (2000). Development as freedom. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Sen, A.K. (1999). Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze omnibus. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
3. Sen, A.K. (1981). Poverty and famines: An essay on entitlement and deprivation. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Recommended Readings:

1. Kabeer, N. (2000). The power to choose.  London: Verso. [pp. 142 – 192].

Section 2: The Feminisation of Poverty

This section explores the overall gender dimensions of poverty focusing at macro level. Students will be exposed to the following areas:

• The social inequality and discrimination of women covering gender, class and caste, looking at inequality, risk and vulnerability.
• The changing intra household dynamics in the situation of extreme poverty, female headed household, garments workers, inter household incidence of relative deprivation and poverty with particular attention to gender differences.

Required Readings

1. Sobhan, R. and Khundker, N. (Eds). (2001). Globalization and gender: Changing patterns of women’s employment. Dhaka: Centre for Policy Dialogue & University Press Limited.
2. Sen, A. K. (2005). The argumentative Indian. New Delhi: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books. [Chapter 1,2,10,11].
3. Chant, S. (2003). New contributions to the analysis of poverty: Methodological and conceptual challenges to understanding poverty from a gender perspective. Santiago, CEPAL: Women and Development Unit. [pp14 – 27].
4. Collins, J. L. and Gimenez, M. (Eds). (1990). Work without wages: Comparative studies of domestic labour and self employment.  New York: State University of N.Y. Press.
5. Kabeer, N. (1994). Reversed realities: Gender hierarchies in development thought.  London, UK: Verso.

Recommended Readings

1. Boserup, E. (1970). Women's role in economic development. New York: St. Martin's Press.
2. Dube, L. and Palriwala, R. (Eds.). (1990). Structures and strategies: Women, work and family.  New Delhi: Sage Publications.
3. Sen, G. & Grown, C. (1985). Development, crises and alternative visions: Third world women's perspectives.  Norway: A.s. Verbum
4. Wignaraja, P. (1990). Women, poverty and resources. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
5. Tinker, I. (1976). The adverse impact of development on women. In: I. Tinker, M. Bramsen et al. (Ed.). Women and world development. Praeger.

Section 3: Globalisation and Its Impact on Third World Poverty and Gender

The section explores concepts of globalisation and its historical trends. Issues will be raised to elaborate the context of Bangladesh with particular emphasis on the garments industry and shrimp industries, labour migration etc. This section examines: financial flow, commodity flow and labour flow, which specially affects women of Bangladesh in a globalised context.

Required Readings:

1. Sobhan, R. and Khundker, N. (Eds). (2001). Globalization and gender: Changing patterns of women’s employment. Dhaka: Centre for Policy Dialogue and University Press Limited.
2. Sen, A. K. (2005). The argumentative Indian. New Delhi: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books. [Chapter 1, 2, 10, 11].
3. Dreze, J. and Sen, A. (Eds). (1997). Indian development: Selected regional perspectives. Oxford and Delhi: Oxford University Press.
4. Dreze, J. and Sen, A. (1999). INDIA: Economic development and social opportunity. Oxford and Delhi: Oxford University Press

Recommended Readings

1. Eapen, M. (October 3, 1992). Fertility and female labour force participation in Kerala. Economic and Political Weekly 27 (40).
2. Kabeer, N. and Mahmud, S. (2004). Globalization, gender and poverty: Bangladeshi women workers in export and local markets. Journal of International Development 16: 93 – 109.
3. Elson, D. (1999). Labor market as gendered institution: Equality, efficiency and empowerment issues.  World Development 27 (3): 611 – 627.
4. Standing, G. (1989). Global feminisation through flexible labour. World Development 17(7): 1077 – 1095.

Section 4: Poverty and Livelihoods in Bangladesh

This section examines the poverty situation and how women are situated in rural and urban poverty in the context of Bangladesh. It also explores the evolution of the concept of poverty and categorization particularly in relation to women in Bangladesh (ordinary, hardcore, etc). Students will also be exposed to analysis of growth in sectors and impact on women looking into changes and shift at the global context and its differential effects on men and women. Particular attention will be given to:

• Gender and access to market, services, networking etc,
• Economic participation,
• NGO and other groups and organisations,
• Access to health, Family planning and other services.

Required Readings

1. Sen, A. K. (2005). The argumentative Indian. New Delhi: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books. [Chapter 2,10 & 11].
2. APT project, BIDS. xxxOriginal poverty report, analysis of poverty trends project in Bangladesh. Bangladesh: BIDS
3. Rahman, H.Z. and Hossain, M. (1992). Rethinking rural poverty: The case of Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

Recommended Readings

1. Salahuddin, K., Jahan, R. and Islam, M. (1997). Women and poverty. Dhaka: Women for Women.

Section 5:  Poverty Eradication: Policy Debates

This section deals with different approaches to defining and assessing poverty. Current policy debates, including the origins and implementation of national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), and Millennium Development Goals. Strategies for poverty reduction will be discussed with specific reference to WB, IMF approach: PRSP, MDG, Structural approach, Women’s Development Policies etc.

Required Readings

1. Jolly, R. (2003). Human development and neo-liberal paradigm compared. In: S.F. Parr and A.K. Shivakumar, Readings in Human Development. N.Y.: Oxford University Press.
2. Mahmud, S. (2003). Actually how empowering is micro-credit?. Development and Change 34 (4): 577 - 605.
3. UNDP. (2003). Human development report 2003: Millennium Development Goals: A compact among nations to end poverty. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Recommended Readings

1. Moser, C. O. N. (1999). From residual welfare to compensatory measures: The changing agenda of social policy in developing countries. Silver Jubilee Paper 6, Sussex: Institute of Development Studies.
2. National Report on Beijing Conference. (1995). Women in Bangladesh, Equality, Development and Peace. Dhaka.
3. World Bank. 1981-1991. Living Standards Measurement Project Various Titles. Washington D.C.: World Bank.
4. World Bank. (1990). Bangladesh strategy paper on women in development. World Bank. Population and Human Resources Division, Asia Country Department 1 Report No. 7899-BD.
5. Kabeer, N. (2003). Gender mainstreaming in poverty eradication and the Millennium Development Goals: A handbook for policy-makers and other stakeholders. London and Ottawa: Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Development Research Centre.

Section 6: Changes in Women’s Life: Case Studies

Students will be exposed to several case studies related to poverty and vulnerability. They will also look into various changes that occur in women’s lives due to macro and micro level shifts, and state level efforts and policies. Particular emphasis will be given to:

• Micro credit and other NGO interventions and women’s empowerment,
• Various safety net programmes of the Govt. (VGD, widow pension, female education at HSC level).

Required Readings

1. Halim, S. (1992). Rural development programmes, their impact on women: A Bangladesh study.  Master thesis. McGill University. National Library of Canada = Bibliothque nationale du Canada.
2. World Bank. (2006). Social safety Nets in Bangladesh: An assessment. Dhaka: World Bank Office.
3. Govt. of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh, E.D. Planning commission. (October 2005)  Unlocking the potential: national strategy for accelerated poverty reduction. Dhaka.

Recommended Readings

1. Akash, M.M. and Sobhan, R. (2006). Poverty reduction strategies of the international development community: The scope for structural change. Research Monograph G. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Centre for Policy Dialog.

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 7: Men and Masculinities in South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives

(Alternative Course)

Course Credit:  4

Learning Objectives

Students will be acquainted with:

• The study of men and masculinities;
• The knowledge to interpret men's issues using various theoretical paradigms on men and masculinities (e.g., Psychodynamic Paradigms, Social Learning Paradigms, Social Constructionist Paradigm, and Feminist Paradigms etc.).
• The idea of multiple masculinities by drawing ethnographic examples from cross cultural perspectives to show how such ideologies are influenced by race, sexual identity, religion, social class, ethnicity etc.;
• The way masculinity as a relatively new area/field/concept can be applied to the field of gender and development;
• Key issues for policy/development interventions in Bangladesh.

Course Description

This course discusses the issue of men and masculinities to explore how men’s lives are affected and influenced by the gendered social order. Masculinity Studies emerged in response to the critical feminist discourses on women, femininity and gender. By discussing the growing and significant body of knowledge on women, femininity and gender both internationally and in South Asia, the course will critically examine the approaches to the study of men and masculinities and identify key concepts and issues for in-depth consideration.

Micro and macro perspectives will guide discussions focusing on how men behave in various contexts and perceive themselves, other men, women, and diverse situations. This course will be interdisciplinary, drawing from research and writing in the social sciences, history, education, literature, social psychology and feminist theory. It will also explore the implications for policy and praxis.

Course Outline

Section 1: Introducing and Conceptualizing Masculinity

The section includes the following main topics:

1. Conceptualizing Masculinity as a Gender Construction: This covers issues like: overview of the concept of ‘gender’; definition of masculinity; masculinity as a plural concept; hegemonic masculinity; marginal masculinities; gender as a structure of social practice; relations among masculinities; hegemony, subordination, complicity and marginalization.

Required Readings

1. Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley, USA: University of California Press. [Chapter 1: The Science of Masculinity. pp. 3 - 44, 244 – 247]

Recommended Readings

2. Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley, USA: University of California Press. [Chapter 3: The Social Organization of Masculinity. pp. 67 - 86, 249 – 250]

1. 2. The History of Masculinity: Main topics of discussion will be on men and feminism; production of masculinity and modern gender order; transformations; the present moment.

Required Readings:

1. Connell, R.W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley, USA: University of California Press. [Chapter 8: The History of Masculinity. pp. 67 - 86, 249 – 250]

Recommended Reading

1. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. [Chapter 2: The Personal and the Political: Men and Feminism. pp. 45-78].

1. 3. Social Relations of Masculinities: Under this topic, masculinity and fatherhood; masculinities and families; schooling masculinities; the meaning of work in men’s lives; work and masculine identity will be discussed. Also concepts like the family wage and the male breadwinner, the sexual division of labour at the workplace will be focused on.

Required Readings:

1. Marsiglio, W. and Pleck, J. H. (2005). Fatherhood and masculinities.  In: M. Kimmel, J. Hearn and R.W. Connell (Eds.), The handbook of studies on men and masculinities.  New York: Sage Publications and Thousand Oaks. [pp.  249-269]. 
2. Pleck, J. H. (1999). Balancing work and family.  Scientific American 10: 38 - 43.
3. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity Press. [Chapter 4: Public Men. pp. 113 – 143].
4. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity Press. [Chapter 5: Private Men. pp. 146 – 177].

Recommended Readings

1. Silverstein, L. B. and Auerbach, C. F. (1999). Deconstructing the essential father. American Psychologist 54: 397 - 407. 
2. Catlett, B. S. and McKenry, P. C. (2004). Class-based masculinities: Divorce, fatherhood, and the hegemonic ideal.  Fathering: A Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice about Men as Fathers 2: 165 - 190.

1. 4. Masculinity, Power and Resistance: conceptualizing power; structural model of gender power; power as discursive; sexualities; masculinity and sexual identity; challenging male violence will be discussed under this topic.

Required Readings

1. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity Press. [Chapter 3: Power and Resistence. pp. 45-78]

Recommended Readings

1. Kaufman, M. (1994). Men, feminism, and men's contradictory experiences of power.  In: H. Brod and M. Kaufman (Eds.). Theorizing masculinities. New Delhi: Sage Publications. CA, USA: Thousand Oaks. [pp. 142-163]. 

1. 5. Critical Evaluation of Masculinity and Sexuality: men’s politics and masculinity politics; understanding sex/gender diversity; male bodies; homophobia and the policing of masculinity; understanding heteronormativity; sexuality, power and control; masculinity, love and intimacy will form topics of this section.

Required Readings:

1. Garlick, S. (2003). What is a Man? Heterosexuality and the Technology of Masculinity. Men and Masculinities 6 (2):156-172
2. Demetriou, D. Z. (2001).  Connell's Concept of Hegemonic Masculinity: A Critique.  Theory and Society 30 (3): 327-361.
3. Gardiner, J. K. (2002). Masculinity studies and feminist theory: New directions. New York: Columbia University Press. [Chapter 1: Introduction].
4. Kimmel, M. (1994). Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame, and silence in the construction of gender identity.  In: H. Brod and M. Kaufman (Eds.). Theorizing masculinities. New Delhi: Sage Publications, CA, USA: Thousand Oaks. [pp. 119-141].
5. Connell, R. W. (2000).  The men and the boy’s.  Berkeley, USA: University of California Press. [Chapter 1: Debates about men, new research on masculinities. pp. 3 - 14].

Recommended Readings

1. Connell, R. W. (2000).  The men and the boys.  Berkeley, USA: University of California Press. [Chapter 2: New Directions in Theory and Research.  pp. 15 -  36]. 

Section 2: Theorizing Masculinity

The section focuses on different theories of masculinity: social scientific paradigms of masculinity; functionalism and male sex role; gender and functionalism, perspectives on sex gender role etc. the section will also deal with psychoanalytical perspectives of Freud and Jung, moving from first to second wave (pro) feminism. 

Required Readings

1. Addis, M. E. and Cohane, G. H. (2005). Social scientific paradigms of masculinity and their implications for research and practice in men’s mental health. Journal of Clinical Psychology 61(6): 633-647. 
2. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity Press. [Chapter 1: Masculinity – Elusion or Reality pp. 1 - 41].

Recommended Readings

1. Nye, R. A. (2005). Locating masculinity: Some recent work on men. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 30 (3): 1937-1962.

Section 3: Masculinity: South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives

1. The section looks at masculinity in cross-cultural perspectives. Masculinities in the context of Africa, Latin America, Europe and America will be explored.
2. The section examines masculinity in the South Asian context. Gender socialization in South Asia and a cross cultural perspective; the modern conjugal family and the male breadwinner concept; fatherhood in cross-cultural perspective will be discussed in this section. Sexuality and the masculine identity; sexuality, power and control; masculinity, love and intimacy, the meaning of work in men’s lives, work and masculine identity will be also focused on.
3. This section will be leading towards understanding Bengali masculinities. Literary constructs of masculinity in Bengali literature; background to the authors; socio-cultural framework of the narrative; cultural identities and thematic concerns ; indices of masculinity; treatment of women as a theme in the texts will be discussed in the section.

Required Readings

1. Connell, R. W. (2001). Masculinities and globalization. In: S. Ruth. Issues in feminism: An introduction to women's studies. UK: Mayfield Publishing. [pp 117-123].
2. Brittan, A. (1989). Masculinity and power. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. [Chapter 3: Male Sexualities. pp. 46-76].
3. Mc Call, N. (2001). Men: We just don’t get it. In: R. P. Byrd and B. Guy-Sheftall (Eds.), TRAPS: African-American Men on gender and sexuality. Indiana, USA: Indiana University Press.
4. Willmott, S. and Griffin, C. (2000). Men, masculinity and the challenge of long-term unemployment. In: M. Mac and Ghaill (Ed). Understanding masculinities. Buckingham/Philadelphia, USA: Open University Press [pp.77-92].

Recommended Readings

1. Eli, Q. (1995). A liar in love. In: D. Belton (Ed). Speak my Name: Black men on masculinity and the American dream. Boston: Beacon Press [pp. 137-143].
2.  Lemmons, G. L. (1998). Towards the End of ‘Black Macho’ in the United States: Preface to a (Pro)Womanist Vision of Black Manhood. In: B. Pease and K. Pringle (Eds.). A Man’s World: Changing Men’s Practices in a Globalized World. London: Zed Books. [pp. 150-162]
3. Carbado, D. (1998). Black male racial victimhood. Callaloo 21: 337-261.

Section 4: Masculinity and Development

The section looks into masculinity as a process of development. Masculinity, violence and power relations, masculine identity, power and dominance; hegemonic and subordinate masculinities; challenging male violence will be discussed. Also concepts like homophobia and the policing of masculinity, understanding sex/gender diversity; heteronormativity etc will be dealt with.

Required Readings

1. Connell, R. W. (2001). Masculinities and globalization. In: S. Ruth, Issues in feminism: An introduction to women's studies. UK: Mayfield Publishing. [pp 117-123].
2. Kaufman, M. (1987). The construction of masculinity and the triad of men’s violence. In: M. Kaufman (Ed). Beyond patriarchy: Essays by men on pleasure, power and change, Toronto and New York: Oxford University Press. [pp. 2-29].
3. Johnson, A. (2001). The gender knot: What drives patriarchy. In: S. Ruth. Issues in feminism: An introduction to women's studies. UK: Mayfield Publishing.  [pp. 94-105].
4. Cock, J. (2001). Gun violence and masculinity in contemporary South Africa. In: R. Morrell (Ed.). Changing men in Southern Africa. London: Zed Books & Univ. of Natal Press. [pp. 43 - 55]
5. Siddharta, Saris (2000). Men and non-violence: Reflections on Indian masculinity.  In: B. Pease and K. Pringle (Eds.). A man’s world: Changing men’s practices in a globalized world. London: Zed Books [pp 219 – 230]

Recommended Readings:

1. Connell, R. (1997), Arms and the man: Using the new research on masculinity to understand violence and promote peace in the contemporary world. UNESCO “Women and a culture of peace” 24-28.Sept.1997 – Expert Group Meeting on “Male Roles and Masculinities in the Perspective of a Culture of Peace”. Oslo, Norway: UNESCO.
2. Brienes, Connell, R. & Eide, I. (Eds.) (2000) Male roles, masculinities and violence: A culture of peace perspective.  Paris: UNESCO [pp. 23 – 33]
3. Nicholson, D. (1995). On violence. In: D. Belton (Ed). Speak my name: Black men and masculinity and the American dream.  Boston: Beacon Press [pp. 28 – 34]
4. Branche, C. (1998). Boys in conflict: Community, gender, identity and sex. In: W. Bailey (Ed). Gender and the Family in the Caribbean. ISER-UWI [pp.185-201].
5. Garlick, S. (2003). What is a Man? Heterosexuality and the Technology of Masculinity. Men and Masculinities 6 (2):156-172

Section 5:  Praxis and Action - The Men’s Movement- Activism and Policy Interventions

The section delves into the current debates and discourses on masculinity, challenges, men’s movement and activism and policy interventions.

Required Readings

Will be provided by the course teacher.

Recommended Readings

Will be provided by the course teacher.

Additional Reading List

Main text throughout the section

1. Brod, H. and Kaufman, M. (Eds.) (1994).Theorizing masculinities.   New Delhi: Sage Publications, CA,USA: Thousand Oaks.
2. Connell, R. (1995). Masculinities.  Cambridge: Polity Press/Blackwell.
3. Gardiner, J. K. (2002). Masculinity studies and feminist theory: New Directions. New York: Columbia University Press.
4. Whitehead, S. M. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Cambridge: Polity Press.

For Section 3: Masculinity: South Asia and Cross Cultural Perspectives

1. Gray, S. (1987). Sharing the shop floor. In: M. Kaufman (Ed.). Beyond patriarchy: Essays by men on pleasure, power and change. Toronto and New York: Oxford University Press. [pp. 216 – 234].
2. Williams, C. (1992). The glass escalator: Hidden advantages of men in the “female” professions. Social Problems 39 (3).

For Section 4: Masculinity and Development

1. Kimmel, M. (1996). Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame and silence in the construction of gender identity. paper presented to Symposium - Constructions of Caribbean Masculinity, CGDS, UWI, St. Augustine, (mimeo)
2. Crichlow  W. (2004). History, testimony and biomythography: The charting of a Buller Man’s Trinidadian past.  In: R. Reddock (Ed.). Interrogating Caribbean Masculinities: Theoretical and Empirical Analyses. Kingston, Jamaica: The UWI Press.
3. Nanda, S. (2000). Gender diversity: Cross-cultural variations. India: Waveland Press Inc. [Chapter 7: Variations on a Theme. pp.101-108].
4. Williams, Lawson: (2000). Homophobia and gay rights activism in Jamaica. Small Axe 7, pp. 106-111.
5. Riggs, M. T. (2001). Black macho revisited. In: D. Carbado (Ed.). Black Men on race, gender and sexuality. New York: NYU Press [pp. 306 – 311].

Journals

Men and Masculinities

Gender and Society

Feminist Review

Feminist Studies

Course Credit: 4

WGS MSS 08: Comprehensive

Course Credit: 4

 Students are required to sit for a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination covers areas taught during the Masters level ranging from first year Masters to the final year Masters. The comprehensive written examination is followed by a viva voce examination. Comprehensive questions paper follows the standard pattern.

 Written comprehensive examination comprises fifty percent and viva voce comprises fifty percent marks.