South Asian Feminisms

Ania Loomba is the Catherine Bryson Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is affiliated with the departments of Comparative Literature, South Asian Studies, Women’s Studies, and Asian-American Studies.Ritty A. Lukose is Associate Professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.

“While most books about feminism in South Asia are country-specific, this collection has a genuinely regional focus. Essays explicitly address feminist activism and concerns in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Given the pioneering nature of South Asian feminist politics and scholarship, there is considerable interest in new work that spans the region. South Asian Feminisms takes on contemporary themes-such as labor, sexuality, and religion and secularism-that resonate across the region and beyond.”-Mary John, author of Discrepant Dislocations: Feminism, Theory, and Postcolonial Histories "South Asian Feminisms grapples fearlessly with the most challenging questions of our time. What is the work of feminism in an age of accelerating state-sponsored violence? How do women resist the depredations of national and global security regimes? How has the combination of rights claims and international development machinery compromised feminist practice? When, where, and under what conditions has the rule of law failed women and consolidated new forms of gendered injustice? What, indeed, is the geopolitical remit of 'South Asian feminisms,' whether theoretical or practical? Ania Loomba and Ritty A. Lukose have assembled a formidable set of interlocutors whose interdisciplinary breadth is matched by their keen analyses, their graphic examples, and their categorical refusal of easy diagnoses. Put down your books and get up from your desks: This is a call to action-in the world, now, today."-Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign "A rich collection of essays from scholars based in and outside of South Asia. These incisive essays testify to the vitality of South Asian feminist politics and the ability of feminist researchers and activists to analyze and engage with national, regional, and global pasts and futures. This is a project of solidarity as well as scholarship."-Inderpal Grewal, author of Transnational America: Feminisms, Diasporas, Neoliberalisms “[A] good, readable, and ethnographically rich resource for anyone who wants to know more about feminist theory and activism in South Asia.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” - L. M. Proctor (Choice) “This book offers a healthy balance of theory and practice in feminist thought... [and] attempts to contextualize feminism and give South Asian feminism a unique brand which is valuable for both feminist scholarship and students. South Asian Feminisms offers pertinent directions for a feminist future in South Asia.” - Minaz Master (Asian Anthropology) “South Asian Feminisms is a timely addition to the existing scholarship regarding feminist endeavors on the ground in South Asia, as well as the theoretical work that has emerged from engaging with particular South Asian sites, be they historical archives or literary narratives, among others.” - Dashini Jeyathurai (Feminist Formations) “This volume provides a meaningful and engaging dialogue on feminist scholarship and activism in South Asia, attesting to the diversity and specificity of this region and its varied challenges and engagements.” - Rohit K. Dasgupta (Asian Affairs) “[A]n important contribution to scholarship on feminism, and on South Asia more generally…. One of the great strengths of this volume is that insightful and sustained critique is consistently accompanied by attention to the possibilities for South Asian feminisms opened up when we listen to the voices of those who have been silenced and marginalized.” - Kalyani Devaki Menon (Asian Studies Review) "Artfully blurring the lines between theory and practice, the editors link together essays by social workers, activists, organizers, and scholars who write from the field as well as within traditional academic locations." - Amy Bhatt (Signs)

• South Asian Feminisms: Contemporary Interventions / Ania Loomba and Ritty A. Lukose 1I. Feminism, Religion, and the Secular From Shah Bano to Kausar Bano: Contextualizing the "Muslim Woman" within a Communalized Polity / Flavia Agnes 33Global Discourses, Situated Traditions, and Muslim Women's Agency in Pakistan / Amina Jamal 54Martial Tales, Right-Wing Hindu Women, and "History Telling" in the Bombay Slums / Atreyee Sen 75II. Feminism, Labor, and Globalization Of Moments, Not Monuments: Feminism and Labor Activism in Postnational Sri Lanka / Sonali Perera 97Feminism, Migration, and Labor: Movement Building in a Globalized World / Anannya Bhattacharjee 117III. Feminism, War, Peace Uncomfortable Alliances: Women, Peace, and Security in Sri Lanka / Vasuki Nesiah 139Feminist Politics and Maternalist Agonism / Malathi de Alwis 162Witnessing as Feminist Intervention in India-Administered Kashmir / Angana P. Chatterji 181IV. Feminism, Figuration, and the Politics of Reading and Writing Transnational Politics of Reading and the (Un)making of Taslima Nasreen / Lamia Karim 205At the Intersection of Gender and Caste: Rescripting Rape in Dalit Feminist Narratives / Laura Brueck 224Subject to Sex: A Small History of the Gomantak Maratha Samaj / Anjali Arondekar 244V. Feminism, Sex Work, and the Politics of Sexuality Keeping Sexuality on the Agenda: The Sex Workers' Movement in Bangladesh / Firdous Azim 267Politicizing Political Society: Mobilization among Sex Workers in Sonagachi, India / Toorjo Ghose 285Queering Approaches to Sex, Gender, and Labor in India: Examining Paths to Sex Worker Unionism / Ashwini Sukthankar 306VI. Feminist Crisis and Futures Hecklers to Power? The Waning of Liberal Rights and Challenges to Feminism in India / Ratna Kapur 333A Global Perspective on Gender: What's South Asia Got to Do with It? / Mrinalini Sinha 356Bibliography 375Contributors 407Index 411