Cartographies of Empowerment : The Mahila Samakhya Story

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Mahila Samakhya is as much a story of a government programme for women’s education and empowerment, as it is of the celebration of the struggles of poor women for their rights. Spread across eight states and more than 150 districts in India, the Mahila Samakhya programme grew out of a unique partnership between the women’s movement and the government. In this collection of essays, concerned scholars from different parts of India chart Mahila Samakhya’s fascinating journey of setting up poor women’s collectives and women’s agency in establishing an equal space and voice in the public domain – a radical departure from the more common approaches of organizing women around economic concerns. The writers explore broad gender issues grounded within the field experience of Mahila Samakhya, providing insights into the workings of the programme at different levels, its conceptual challenges, strategic choices, the opportunities and pitfalls of partnership with government and above all the willingness of poor women to come together voluntarily to address and overcome gender barriers. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Cartographies of Empowerment: An Introduction 1. The Making of Mahila Samakhya 1987-1992 2. Scenes from an Expanding Universe: Personal Journeys 3. From Sanghas to Federations: Empowering Processes and Institutions 4. Songs of Change in a Minor Key? 5. Between Questions and Clarity: Education in Mahila Samakhya 6. Addressing Girls’ Education 7. Mapping the Multiple World of Women’s Literacy: Experiences from Mahila Samakhya 8. Responding to Violence and Exploring Justice through Women-centered Machanisms 9. Engendering Mainstream Institutions: The Mahila Samakhya Experience with Panchayats 10. Mahila Samakhya Approaches to Women’s Health 11. Embedding Economic Empowerment within an Education Process: The Mahila Samakhya Experience 12. Ambiguities and Silences References Glossary Notes on Contributors