Gender and Education in India: A Reader

296 Pages·2021·3.24 MB·English

by  Nandini Manjrekar

HBK|w:178mm;h:254mm;sp:19mm|Design:27|RAPSticket:293748|Created:20210225_152309
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GENDER AND EDUCATION IN
INDIA
A READER
Edited by
Nandini Manjrekar
Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)
aninformabusiness
ISBN 978-1-03-204357-9
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www.routledge.com
RoutledgetitlesareavailableaseBookeditionsinarangeofdigitalformats
Gender and Education in India
A Reader
Edited by
N andini Manjrekar
Assisted by
Simran L uthra
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LONDON AND NEW YORK
AAKAR
First published 2021
by Routledge
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© 2021 selection and editorial matter, Nandini Manjrekar; individual chapters, the contributors; and Aakar Books
The right of Nandini Manjrekar to be identified as author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their
individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
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Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)
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ISBN: 978-1-032-04357-9 (hbk)
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Contents
Copyright Acknowledgements 5
Acknowledgements 7
List of Contributors 8
Introduction by Nandini Manjrekar 11
1. Masculinity and Femininity: Ideas are Real 29
V. Geetha
2. Growing Up Male 36
Krishna Kumar
3. Through the Looking Glass: Gender Socialisation in a Primary School 40
Nandini Bhattacharjee
4. Bound by Norms and Out of Bounds: Experiences of PAGFB (Persons
Assigned Gender Female at Birth) Within the Formal Education System 53
Smriti Nevatia, Raj, Shalini Mahajan, Chayanika Shah, Lesbians and Bisexuals in
Action (LABIA)
5. Men, Women and the Embattled Family 67
Uma Chakravarti
6. Strishiksha, or Education for Women 98
Tanika Sarkar
7. Role Models: Educated Muslim Women—Real and Ideal 124
Gail Minault
8. Partition and Family Strategies: Gender-Education Linkages Among Punjabi
Women in Delhi 156
Karuna Chanana
9. Unequal Schooling as a Factor in the Reproduction of Social Inequality in India 177
Padma Velaskar
10. From Access to Attainment: Girls’ Schooling in Contemporary India 190
Manabi Majumdar
11. Negotiation and Compromise: Gender and Government Elementary Education 206
Elspeth Page
12. The Contested Terrain of Reproduction: Class and Gender in Schooling in India 220
Raka Ray
13. Serving the Nation: Gender and Family Values in Military School 234
Véronique Bénéï
4 Gender and Education in India
14. Chhadi Lage Chham Chham, Vidya Yeyi Gham Gham (The Harder the Stick
Beats, the Faster the Flow of Knowledge): Dalit Women’s Struggle for Education 248
Shailaja Paik
15. Gender and Curriculum 266
Dipta Bhog
16. Education as Trutiya Ratna: Towards Phule-Ambedkarite Feminist Pedagogical
Practice 275
Sharmila Rege
Copyright Acknowledgements
The essays in this reader have been published No. 2, pp. 173-196. Copyright © 2012
as research articles in journals as well as Education Dialogue Trust, Delhi. All rights
chapters in books. The editor gratefully reserved. Reproduced with the permission
acknowledges permissions by individual of the copyright holders and the
authors and publishers to include copyright publishers, Sage Publications India Pvt.
material in this reader. Details of copyright Ltd., New Delhi.
permissions are given below.
Chakravarti, U. “Men, Women and the
Geetha, V. “Masculinity and Femininity: Ideas Embattled Family”, in Uma Chakravarti,
are Real”, Reproduced from V. Geetha. Rewriting History: The Life and Times of
2002, in Gender, Stree, pp. 39-49. © 2015 Pandita Ramabai. New Delhi: Zubaan
V. Geetha. Books, 2013, pp. 200-246. Reproduced
with permission from Zubaan Publishers
Kumar, K. “Growing up Male”. Originally
Private Ltd, New Delhi. © author.
published in What is Worth Teaching,
Hyderabad: Orient Longman, (pp. 81-88) Sarkar, T. “Strishiksha, or Education for
1992. Reproduced with permission from Women”, in Tanika Sarkar, Words to Win:
the publisher Orient Longman. The Making of Amar Jiban: A Modern
Autobiography. Delhi: Kali for Women,
Bhattacharjee, N. “Through the Looking Glass:
1999. Reproduced with permission from
Gender and Socialisation in a Primary
Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
School”. Originally published in Culture,
© author.
Socialization and Human Development:
Theory, Research and Application in India Minault, G. “Role Models: Educated Muslim
(pp. 336-355), Copyright 1991. © T.S. Women, Real and Ideal” in Gail Minault,
Saraswathi. All rights reserved. Secluded Scholars: Women’s Education and
Reproduced with the permission of the Muslim Social Reform in Colonial India.
copyright holder and the publishers, Sage Delhi: Oxford University Press. 1998, pp.
Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. 14-57. Reproduced with permission from
Oxford University Press. © Oxford
Nevatia, S., Raj, Mahajan, S. and Shah, C.
University Press.
“Bound by Norms and Out of Bounds:
Experiences of PAGFB (Persons Assigned Chanana, K. “Partition and Family Strategies:
Gender Female at Birth) Within the Formal Gender-Education Linkages Among
Education System”. Originally published Punjabi Women in Delhi”, Economic and
in Contemporary Education Dialogue, Vol. 9, Political Weekly, Vol. 28, No. 14, 1993, pp.
6 Gender and Education in India
25-34. Reproduced with permission from Vol. 9, No. 4 (1988), pp. 387-401.
the author. Reproduced with permission from the
author.
Velaskar, P. “Unequal Schooling as a Factor
in the Reproduction of Social Inequality Bénéï, V. “Serving the Nation: Gender and
in India”, Sociological Bulletin, 39 (1&2) Family Values in Military Schools”.
March and September 1990, pp. 131-145. Originally published in Educational
Reproduced with permission of the Regimes in Contemporary India, (pp. 141-
author. 159). Copyright 2005 © Radhika Chopra
and Patricia Jeffery. All rights reserved.
Majumdar, M. “From Access to Attainment:
Reproduced with the permission of the
Girls’ Schooling in Contemporary India”.
copyright holder and the publishers, Sage
Originally published in and reproduced
Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
from Mapping the Field: Gender Relations in
Contemporary India, edited by Nirmala Paik, S. “Chhadi Lage Chham Chham, Vidya
Banerjee, Samita Sen and Nandita Yegi Gham Gham (The harder the stick
Dhawan, Stree, pp. 213-236. © 2011 School beats, the faster the flow of knowledge):
of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University. Dalit Women’s Struggle for Education”.
By permission. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 16, No.
2, pp. 175-204. Copyright 2009 © Centre
Page, E. “Negotiation and Compromise:
for Women’s Development Studies, New
Gender and Government Elementary
Delhi. All rights reserved. Reproduced
Education”. Originally published in
with the permission of the copyright
Educational Regimes in Contemporary India
holder and the publishers, Sage
(pp. 178-196). Copyright 2005 © Radhika
Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Chopra and Patricia Jeffery. All rights
reserved. Reproduced with the permission Bhog, D. “Gender and Curriculum”, Economic
of the copyright holder and the publishers, and Political Weekly, Vol. 37, No. 17, 2002,
Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New pp. 1638-1642. Reproduced with permis-
Delhi. sion of the author.
Ray, R. “The Contested Terrain of Rege, S. “Education as Trutiya Ratna: Towards
Reproduction: Class and Gender in Phule-Ambedkarite Feminist Pedagogical
Schooling in India”. Originally published Practice”, Economic and Political Weekly, 45
in British Journal of Sociology of Education, (44), 2010, pp. 88-98. Reproduced with
permission.
Acknowledgements
Given its theoretical and policy significance, invaluable in navigating the many twists and
the area of gender and education now finds turns of putting readings from diverse sources
inclusion in several Masters’ level together. Thank you, Simran.
programmes across the country, offered as a Special thanks to Sir Ratan Tata Trust for
core or elective paper in programmes of supporting the publication of this reader and
Education, Gender/Women’s Studies, my colleague Disha Nawani for coordinating
Sociology and Social Work. The papers in this the larger publication project of the School of
volume are a selection of essential readings Education at TISS. My office colleague, Meena
that form part of such a course, offered since Mane helped out with administrative work
2006 in the Master’s programme at the School and thanks are due to her. It is a matter of
of Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences extreme sorrow that our cheerful Juilee
(TISS), Mumbai. For several years it has also tragically died shortly after completing the
been offered as a core course in the Masters in typescript of the reader. I hoped I thanked her
Women’s Studies programme at TISS. adequately before she left us.
Teaching this course at both disciplinary All the authors have been supportive of
locations has come with challenges, since these the project of bringing out this reader, and I
domains of knowledge do not conventionally am grateful to them. To Anil Saini, a warm
converse with each other, yet it has been very thanks for permission to reproduce the late
enriching and productive. Given that both Sharmila Rege’s paper in this reader. I regret
gender and feminist scholarship as well as that it has not been possible to include many
education are wide areas of study, and other feminist scholars whose work has been
education in particular has critical significance seminal to our understanding, but I owe
to human and social development, it is immense gratitude to them for producing
unfortunate that a wider range of scholarship work that has come into classrooms to enrich
could not be included in this reader. Selective our debates.
as they are, the papers reflect my own under- I thank Aakar Books and especially K.K.
standing gained from teaching students about Saxena for being warm and kind always,
how we could build conceptual frameworks to through the many delays I was responsible for.
understand the linkages of gender and Over the years, every class of the gender
education in the Indian context, frameworks and education course I have engaged was full
that would necessarily have to bring in work of of learning and sharing. Students ensured that
other scholars. no one left without more questions to bring
Through the process of putting this back to the next class. And so it is they who
volume together, Simran Luthra has been a deserve thanks above all.
wonderfully competent student-collaborator. Nandini Manjrekar
Her attention to detail and timeliness has been
List of Contributors
V. Geetha is a feminist social historian and India edited by Professor Kumar was released
scholar-activist who has written extensively recently.
on issues of caste, gender, education, and
LABIA, a queer feminist collective, formerly
democratic rights. She is currently Editorial
known as Stree Sangam, is a Mumbai-based
Director at Tara Books, Chennai. Her notable
voluntary collective of lesbian and bisexual
publications include Towards a Non-Brahmin
women and transpersons, with a focus on
Millennium: from Iyothee Thass to Periyar co-
queer and feminist activism. LABIA’s recent
authored with S.V. Rajadurai (1998), Religious
work, both in terms of research and advocacy,
Faith, Ideology, Citizenship: The View from Below
has been foundational in interrogating the
co-authored with Nalini Rajan Kita (2011) and
gender binary and its operation in the Indian
Undoing Impunity: Speech After Sexual Violence
context that marginalises large sections of
(2016). She has translated two novels by Tamil
people and invisibilises their experiences.
writer Perumal Murugan, and is currently
Significant publications include Breaking the
researching the writings of Dr. B.R.
Binary: Understanding Concerns and Realities of
Ambedkar.
Queer Persons Assigned Gender Female at Birth
Krishna Kumar has taught at the University of Across a Spectrum of Lived Gender Identities
Delhi and served as Director of NCERT (2013) and No Outlaws in the Gender Galaxy
(National Council of Educational Research (2015). They can be reached at labia.collective
and Training). He is currently an Honorary @gmail.com.
Professor at Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Uma Chakravarti is a feminist historian and
He was awarded an Hon. D. Litt. by the
activist. She taught for more than two decades
Institute of Education, University of London
at Miranda House, University of Delhi. Her
in 2011. The same year, he was awarded
key research and teaching interests lie in
Padmashri. He has been a Visiting Fellow at
feminist historiography, particularly within
the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin
the social history of Buddhism, early Indian
and at the Centre for the Advanced Study of
history, 19th century history, and
India, Philadelphia. He is a bilingual author,
contemporary issues. Her key writings
columnist and writer for children. His major
include Rewriting History: The Life and Times
books include Politics of Education in Colonial
of Pandita Ramabai (1998), From Myths to
India, What is Worth Teaching, The Child’s
Markets: Essays on Gender (with Kumkum
Language and the Teacher, Prejudice and Pride,
Sangari) (1999), Gendering Caste: Through a
A Pedagogue’s Romance and Education, Conflict
Feminist Lens (2003), and Everyday Lives,
and Peace, Raj, Samaj aur Shiksha, Vichaar ka
Everyday Histories: Beyond the Kings and
Dar, Shiksha aur Gyan, and Choori Bazaar mein
Brahmanas of ‘Ancient‘ India (2012).
Larki. The Routledge Handbook of Education in
List of Contributors 9
Tanika Sarkar is a feminist historian of modern gender, diversity, and social change and
India. She recently retired as professor, Centre equality. She pioneered the teaching of
for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru sociology of education, establishing India’s
University. She has written extensively on the earliest MPhil and PhD programmes. Apart
intersections of gender, religion and politics from a wide range of research articles, her
in colonial and postcolonial India, the latter books include Socialisation, Education and
particularly focusing on women and the Women: Explorations in Gender Identity (1988),
Hindu rightwing. Her key works are Women Interrogating Women’s Education: Bounded
and the Hindu Right (edited jointly with Visions, Expanding Horizons (2001) and co-
Urvashi Butalia, 1995), Words to Win: The author of Inclusion and Exclusion: A Study of
Making of Amar Jiban: A Modern Autobiography. Women and Men in Delhi Police (2005).
(1999), Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation: Community,
Padma Velaskar retired as Professor at the
Religion, Cultural Nationalism (2001), Women
Centre for Studies in Sociology of Education,
and Social Reform in Modern India: A Reader
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her
(two volumes, edited jointly with Sumit
fields of specialisation include the sociology
Sarkar, 2008), Rebels, Wives, Saints: Designing
of caste, class and gender, the sociology of
Selves and Nations in Colonial Times (2009),
education and Dalit and gender issues. She
Caste in Modern India: A Reader (two volumes,
has researched and published widely in these
edited jointly with Sumit Sarkar, Permanent
areas. She is currently working on
Black, 2013) and Words to Win: The Making of
manuscripts based on her research on Dalit
a Modern Autobiography (2014).
women and the public education system of
Gail Minault is a historian of South Asia. She Mumbai.
taught for over thirty years at the Department
Manabi Majumdar teaches at the Centre for
of History, University of Texas-Austin, where
Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, and is also
she is currently Professor Emerita. Her
affiliated to Pratichi Institute, Kolkata. Her
research interests include 19th and 20th century
research interests include the political
history of India, Islam in South Asia, and
economy of education, democratic
women in Asia. Some of her key works are
decentralisation, and human development.
The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and
She has written extensively on the dominant
Political Mobilization in India (1982) and
education paradigm and exclusion of the poor
Secluded Scholars: Women’s Education and
from education in India. Among her
Muslim Reform in Colonial India (1997). She
important publications are Social Exclusion
edited The Extended Family: Women and
from a Welfare Rights Perspective in India (with
Political Participation in India and Pakistan
Paul Appasamy, S. Guhan, R. Hema and A.
(1981) and co-edited Separate Worlds: Studies
Vaidyanathan (1996) and Education and
of Purdah in South Asia (1982). Her latest work
Inequality in India: A Classroom View (with Jos
is Gender, Language and Learning: Essays in
Mooij, 2011).
Indo-Muslim Cultural History (2009).
Elspeth Page is an independent consultant with
Karuna Chanana retired as Professor from the
30 years experience in Africa, South Asia and
Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies,
Europe. She has a doctorate in education,
Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has
gender and international development from
published widely in the area of sociology of
the Institute of Education, London. Her
education and gender. Her expertise is in
primary focus is a dual approach of inclusive
research, training, and curriculum
education pursued within an inclusive
development related to higher education,
community development model. Her interests