Watch Dr Leena Pujari on Her story of Global Feminism, as a part of Feminism and the Global Social Transformation, conducted on February 16 – 18, 2022 by IMPRI #WebPolicyLearning Gender Impact Studies Center (GISC), IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi.
Dr Leena Pujari, Associate Professor and Head of Sociology Department of KC College, Mumbai
Dr Leena Pujari presented a lecture on ‘Herstory of Global Feminism’ under which she covered the historical aspects of feminism while emphasizing the need to retrieve the parts of history that according to her have been thrown in the ‘dustbin’. She started her lecture by defining feminism and the multiple ‘-isms’ or the diverse positions taken within the domain of feminism itself.
She introduced the ideas of Bell Hook on feminism which spanned from institutionalized sexism to men being ‘passive perpetuators’ of sexism and even the concept of intersectionality in feminism. She traced down its history right from the Anti-Slavery Convention of 1840 and Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. She then gradually moved towards themes like intersectionality, the inclusion of oppressed genders, and indigenous women among others.
Dr Pujari also delves into the concept of ‘fallen woman’ for those revolutionary women who went against societal conventions and norms. She also explained the views of the men who were in the seat of power, intellect and business regarding women. These included utterly misogynistic views on women by Charles Darwin, Ruskin Bond, and Sigmund Freud among others. Dr Leena Pujari also touched upon the writings of Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949), Kate Millet’s Sexual Politics (1970) and Bell Hook’s Feminist theory-From margin to center (1984) to explain briefly the second-wave feminist movements.
She concluded with a few critiques of feminism which include white supremacy, colonial legacy destroying the indigenous feminist practices and exclusion of transwomen and non-binary people. She later engaged in a Question-Answer session with the participants, where she addressed questions on tracing Indian feminism, the need for feminism to be brought out of academia into everyday life and the ideas of Manusmriti on women as well.
Feminism and the Global Social Transformation
Dates: February 16 – 18, 2022
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. IST
Platform: Zoom
Day 1 | Understanding of feminism and feminist movements across the world
Dr Leena Pujari
Associate Professor and Head
Department of Sociology
K C College, Mumbai
Lecture Topic: Herstory of Global Feminism
Prof Vibhuti Patel
Visiting Professor, IMPRI, New Delhi;
Former Professor, Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
Lecture Topic: Feminism in South Asia
Prof Manisha Desai
Department Head, Sociology; Professor of Sociology and Asian and Asian American Studies, University of Connecticut, USA
Lecture Topic: Transnational Feminism
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Day 2 | Intersectional feminism, social justice, and transformative change at personal and societal levels
Dr Linda Lane
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg
Lecture Topic: Intersectional Feminism in the Industrialised World
Prof Indira Ramarao
Scholar-in-Residence, Centre for Women’s Studies, Bangalore University, Bengaluru;
Former Professor of Sociology, University of Mysore
Lecture Topic: Feminist Epistemology & Feminist Praxis
Prof Pushpesh Kumar
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hyderabad
Lecture Topic: Intersectional Marginality and Feminist Responses in the Post-Colonial Countries
Day 3 | Interconnectedness of gender and other structures and systems in society within a global framework
Prof Kanchana Mahadevan
Professor,
Department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai
Lecture Topic: Feminist Legacy and the Pathway for Global Social Transformation
Prof Roxana-Elisabeta Marinescu
Professor,
Faculty of International Business and Economics,
Department of Modern Languages and Business Communication,
Bucharest University of Economic Studies,
Romania
Lecture Topic: Feminist interventions to challenge gendered structures and Systems in the European Union
Dr Chitra Sinha
Independent Academic, Author, and Gender Studies Specialist;
Co-founder, Kooheji Training and Education Management, Bahrain
Lecture Topic: Feminist Tranformatory Agenda for Action in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
