Governance Reforms and Rural Women in India: What Types of Women Citizens are Produced by the Will to Empower?

Author: Everett, Jana

Source: Social Politics, Volume 16, Number 2, 29 April 2009 , pp. 279-302(24)

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Abstract:

In 1993, the Government of India reserved one-third of the seats in rural councils (panchayats) for women, and along with NGOs, set up programs to empower rural women. We examine the usefulness of a Foucauldian governmentality framework in analyzing how women participants in panchayati raj institutions in Pune District, India, have been produced and the ways in which they respond. We conclude that the emphasis of a strong Foucauldian perspective on structure at the expense of agency obscures the complexity of women's responses. In contrast, a weak Foucauldian perspective is able to recognize that in some cases these incorporation processes create assertive, reformist, and resourceful citizens.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxp009

Publication date: 2009-04-29

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Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society examines political systems and cultural institutions through the lens of gender. It addresses changes in family, state, market, and civil society, employing several disciplines and drawing from a variety of cultures to illuminate these areas of research.