How can women come together without leaders? How can one think of the 'political' without 'representatives'? Without the familiar idiom 'representation'? The meeting on the 26th of May in the shade of mango trees close to Damini village was an attempt in this direction. Perhaps a 'new' direction. 130 plus women from eight villages came together without a leader. The villages were not represented by a few selected or elected women. Whoever wanted to come came. Whoever wanted to speak and share spoke.
Can this lead to a rethinking of the political? The feminist political?
Can this lead to a rethinking of (gendered) transformation?
The meeting took place in the shade of a few mango trees. We were sixteen. Fourteen were from village Mahindarpur. We drew a circle on the ground with a wooden stick. We also drew a triangle on the ground. The circle stood for resource related issues in a women's life. The triangle stood for relation related issues in a women's life. The triangle represented issues like domestic violence, singleness. The circle represented issues like shortage of drinking water, landlessness. Issues tied to the triangle required a rethinking of gender relationships. Issues tied to the circle required a negotiation with state and government officials. Women looked to be burdened by issues tied to both the circle and the triangle. It appeared issues affecting lives of women in the Adivasi space needed to be divided into a related and a mutually constitutive two:
(1) Resource Deprivation/Discrimination
(2) Gendered Nature of Relationships
The women in the meeting felt that they themselves could change the gendered nature of relationships.
Beyond Leaders:
ReplyDeleteHow can women come together without leaders? How can one think of the 'political' without 'representatives'? Without the familiar idiom 'representation'? The meeting on the 26th of May in the shade of mango trees close to Damini village was an attempt in this direction. Perhaps a 'new' direction. 130 plus women from eight villages came together without a leader. The villages were not represented by a few selected or elected women. Whoever wanted to come came. Whoever wanted to speak and share spoke.
Can this lead to a rethinking of the political? The feminist political?
Can this lead to a rethinking of (gendered) transformation?
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ReplyDeleteThe lives of women in a co-existence of a circle and triangle of their lives!! What is the woman's question and the question of a woman's life?
ReplyDeleteBetween a Circle and a Triangle:
ReplyDeleteThe meeting took place in the shade of a few mango trees. We were sixteen. Fourteen were from village Mahindarpur. We drew a circle on the ground with a wooden stick. We also drew a triangle on the ground. The circle stood for resource related issues in a women's life. The triangle stood for relation related issues in a women's life. The triangle represented issues like domestic violence, singleness. The circle represented issues like shortage of drinking water, landlessness. Issues tied to the triangle required a rethinking of gender relationships. Issues tied to the circle required a negotiation with state and government officials. Women looked to be burdened by issues tied to both the circle and the triangle. It appeared issues affecting lives of women in the Adivasi space needed to be divided into a related and a mutually constitutive two:
(1) Resource Deprivation/Discrimination
(2) Gendered Nature of Relationships
The women in the meeting felt that they themselves could change the gendered nature of relationships.