Author: Sangeetha Purushothaman
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 384
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8170366496
Description
This book constitutes perhaps the first theoretical and analytical explication of grassroots
women's movements in India utilizing a synthesis of social movements theory, development theory and theories of the state.
Based on a case study of an informal network of non-governmental organizations and women’s collectives-the Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP-SPARC)-the author analyzes the implications of the form and nature of organizations for changing power relations and for fostering women’s autonomy vis-à-vis men and other social groups. The case study also demonstrates the need for an effectiveness of flexible forms of organizations in mobilizing resources for poor women and for facilitating their participation in the development process.
Deviating from contemporary social movements theory which emphasizes centralized organizational forms, Sangeetha Purushothaman amply demonstrates that a decentralized, loosely structured network of organizations can actually increase the visibility and participation of poor women, enable them to bargain for resources, and changes state policy, while simultaneously protecting the autonomy of the organizations involved.
The author has successfully combined a comparative theoretical perspective with a rich ethnographic account where the voices of rural women and activists are clearly heard. The result is a lucid account of grassroots activism which will attract a wide readership among those concerned with women in development, development studies, social movements, social theory, political science and sociology.
Contents
List of Tables
List of Charts
List of Appendices
Foreword by Charles Tilly
Preface and Acknowledgement
Introduction
The Material Conditions Shaping Grassroots Women’s Lives and their Organizations
The Formation of the Swayam Shikwhan Prayog Network
A Reconceptualization of Social Movement Theory in the Context of Women’s Organizations in India
The Community Participation Approach
Engendering the State
The Process and Outcomes of Interaction in the Swayam Shikshan Prayog
Conclusions
Appendices
References
Index