Women’s Studies and Developing Countries: Focus on Asia

Abstract

The growth of womens studies since 1970 has not been limited the United States. Similar developments some as dramatic have been underway in other countries where there were networks of women scholars and activists. The United Kingdom Canada Australia and New Zealand have made significant advances since the 1970s in womens studies research and in the number and range of courses available. Elsewhere courses appeared on the European continent particularly in West Germany the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries where strong government support was available. In most developing countries however womens studies as such was little known prior 1980. The notable exception was India. Here the origins of womens studies are attributable the investigations of the Committee on the Status of Women in India which were carried out from 1971 1974. The Committees Report highlighted a lack of knowledge about the diversity of womens lives and pointed the need for further research and reappraisal of the traditional assumptions of the social sciences. With that background the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) established a Programme of Womens Studies in 1976 to develop new perspectives in the social sciences--through examining basic assumptions methodological approaches and concepts concerning the family household womens work productivity economic activity--to remedy the neglect and underassessment of womens contributions the society. (excerpt)