Women in Modern Social and Political Thought : Seminar

Centre for Women’s Studies, AMU

Seminar

on

Women in Modern Social and Political Thought

03-05 October 2009

The Centre invites scholars to participate in the seminar and present a paper on any topic related to the theme of the seminar.

The Theme Outline

Feminist scholarship has revealed the androgynous nature of modern social and political thought. Even as the modern thought claims to occupy a scientific and universalist status it actually silences and excludes the voices of marginalized social groups, in particular women. In developing the knowledge of our social and political life, modern intellectuals have, perhaps exclusively, relied on the experiences, and defended the interests, of men. Almost all theories of social change, despite the ideological differences that separate them, exclude the interests, experiences and aspirations of women. At the same time, given its universalist pretensions, modern social thought claims to speak for both men and women. In representing women it then reinforces gender hierarchies and invests women with attributes that renders them inferior to men. The chief objective of the proposed seminar it to explore the representation of women in the dominant schools of modern social and political thought. In doing so, of course, we hope to understand better the inter-relations between the modern knowledge about women and gender iniquities. We hop to see scholars delve deeper into the gender connotations of modern social theories, developing from within the liberal, Marxist, Weberian, nationalist and post-modernist schools of thought. At the same time, we need to recognize that women have been expressing their interests and experiences within these schools of thought. Liberal feminism, for example, offered a succinct critique of the post- enlightenment thought from a feminist perspective. Similarly, socialist feminists complicated Marxist political thought by conflating class with gender. The third world feminists have likewise successfully incorporated women’s concerns in the mainstream nationalist thought. The proposed seminar would re-assess the contribution of the feminist theories to the development of the modern social and political thought.

The proposed seminar would cover the following broad themes:

1.Women and gender in post-Enlightenment thought
2.Representation of women in modern, liberal thought
3.Emergence of liberal feminist thought
4.Class and Gender in Marxist thought
5.Re-assessing Socialist feminists
6.Women in Nationalist Thought
7.Masculinity and Manliness in Gandhian Thought
8.Class-Gender intersectionality in third world feminism


This list is only suggestive, not all-inclusive. Ultimately, the object is to receive papers which after due processing and refereed selection, can be published.


There will be no Registration Charges, and the Centre would be happy to provide local hospitality. We would, subject to the availability of funds, also be able to meet the travel expenses (AC-II /Taxi / Apes Air Fare) with in India of the, invited scholars.


The Dead Lines:
For receipt of the title of the paper alongwith an abstract (app. 150 – 300 words) 20 August 2009.

For submission of full paper for pre-circulation 20 September 2009.


Address for Communication:

Postal Address: Director, Centre for Women’s Studies, English House Complex, Tar Bangla, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002

Contact Numbers: Tel & Fax:91-571-2706479, 91-571-2700920 Ext.1241

E-mails: amucws@gmail.com and amucws2002@yahoo.com

Professor Shireen Moosvi: Contact Numbers and e-mail:
91-571-2701539 (Res.), 09358210674 (Mob.), shireen.moosvi@gmail.com

Professor Farhat Hasan: Contact Number:09997198962 (Mob), fhasan15@hotmail.com





(Professor Farhat Hasan) (Professor Shireen Moosvi)
Coordinator of the Seminar Director