Panel Title: Gender Dynamics in the Global South

Panel Code: RC07.10Track: RC07 Women and Politics in the Global South

Date & Time: 13 July 2025, 17:30–19:15 (UTC+9)

Convenor: Dr. Meenakshi Bansal

Chair: Prof. Dr. Mamta Chandra Shekhar

Co-chair: Dr. Marijke BreuningDiscussants: Ms. Srabastee De Bhaumik, Dr. Amarnath Paswan

Volunteer Rapporteur: Dr. İlayda Eskitaşcıoğlu Karavelioğlu


Panel Overview:

The panel “Gender Dynamics in the Global South” addressed the multifaceted issues impacting gender politics in various contexts across the Global South.  Presenters for both “Role of Women in Politics of Jharkhand” and “Transgender Representation in Indian Politics: Post-1990s Era” were not in attendance. As a result, these presentations were not delivered during the session and the panel was concluded with 4 presentations. The only available discussant was Ms. Srabastee De Bhaumik, who provided thoughtful commentary on the four papers that were presented. The rapporteur would like to note, however, that due to time constraints and Chair Dr. Shekhar’s decision to conclude the session early (partly in response to overlapping scheduling with the Opening Ceremony) several panelists were asked to significantly shorten their presentations. This led to the omission of planned discussion segments and limited audience engagement, ultimately constraining the depth of exchange the session aimed to foster. A slightly more prepared and coordinated facilitation could have allowed for a more balanced allocation of time and smoother session flow. Having said this, the session brought together a diverse, excellent group of scholars analyzing different case studies and theoretical approaches to better understand gendered experiences, systemic challenges, and evolving political roles.

Paper Presentations

1. Asking the ‘Woman Question’: Pathways for Political Leadership of Mizo Women under Customary Legal Frameworks

Presented by: Ms. Melody Hmangaimawi 

The presenter delivered a compelling analysis of women’s political participation in Mizoram, a state in Northeast India governed under the country’s asymmetric federal structure. Although the presentation was unfortunately interrupted multiple times and had to be concluded earlier than anticipated, it effectively conveyed the empirical depth and critical insights outlined in the abstract. Governed by Article 371(G) of the Indian Constitution, Mizoram enjoys special legislative autonomy that reinforces the authority of its customary laws, particularly in matters related to land, religion, and social practices, without requiring parliamentary approval. Within this framework, the study interrogates the deeply entrenched patriarchal and patrilocal norms that continue to restrict women’s roles in political leadership and land ownership, despite their visibility in social life and their numerical dominance as voters.

Using ethnographic observations, questionnaires, documentary analysis, and the conceptual framework of the “woman question” of Bartlett, the researcher interrogates how masculinist norms are embedded in customary legal structures and social expectations. The paper maps both continuity and change in gendered political spaces in Mizoram, focusing on how the abolition of chieftainship and the reservation of seats for women in local governance have opened up new (albeit limited) pathways for women’s leadership. Religious institutions, particularly the Church, are shown to play a pivotal role in shaping political imaginaries and defining social respectability for women. Key case studies include Lalrinpuii, who strategically leveraged church networks to contest local elections, and Meriam L. Hrangchal whose legal and social identity was contested due to her marriage to a non-Mizo man, invoking Chapter 3:74 of Mizo customary law. These narratives illustrate the ongoing negotiations between inherited patriarchal structures and emerging feminist aspirations. Despite the presentation’s premature ending, it powerfully captured the complex intersections of gender, law, tradition, and regional autonomy that define and constrain the contours of women’s political participation in Mizoram.

In conclusion, the study emphasizes two key insights. First, Mizo women’s political participation reflects a continuous negotiation between inherited structures and emerging aspirations. Second, institutional reform and grassroots mobilization (illustrated through case studies of women leaders who rise via church networks, contest legal hierarchies, or mobilize digitally) demonstrate the plural strategies women employ to claim space within and beyond formal political systems. For Mizo women, the journey toward political leadership is not solely about accessing power; it is about transforming the very structures that define who can lead. Despite the presentation’s premature ending, it powerfully captured the complex intersections of gender, law, tradition, and regional autonomy that shape the evolving terrain of political participation in Mizoram.

Searching for the Missing: Women’s Struggles in Kashmir

Presented by: Mr. Aarash Pirzada

This presentation, though regrettably interrupted the most and concluded far earlier than scheduled, offered a rich and nuanced glimpse into the gendered dimensions of legal agency amid the ongoing Kashmir conflict. Drawing from the presenter’s thesis, the study explores how prolonged militarization and the gendered construction of legal spaces have shaped the lived experiences of Kashmiri civilians, particularly women, since the intensification of conflict in the 1990s. While men have been the primary victims of enforced disappearances and preventive detentions, the burden of navigating legal and bureaucratic systems in search of missing male relatives has disproportionately fallen on women. Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the imposition of curfews and mass detentions further entrenched administrative borders, severely restricting mobility and access to legal institutions. Against this backdrop, the study employs legal ethnography, including interviews with 25 participants, to uncover the gendered language and structural biases embedded in legal processes. The findings reveal how law, historically shaped by Victorian notions of sexuality and gender, continues to marginalize women through moderated behavior, institutional apathy, and an enduring male-centric legal lexicon. Crucially, the paper challenges prevailing narratives that frame women’s legal activism solely through the lens of motherhood or familial obligation. Instead, it theorizes women's everyday legal navigation as a form of dissent and assertion of independent agency. Despite the session’s abrupt ending, the presentation definitely had the potential for a powerful intervention into existing scholarship by re-centering Kashmiri women’s legal struggles as acts of political and social reclamation, rather than passive extensions of male victimhood.

3. Breaking Barriers: Women Redefining Power, Sexuality and Feminism

The paper titled “Breaking Barriers: Women Redefining Power, Sexuality and Feminism” was presented solely by Dr. Anju Gupta, who delivered a passionate and theoretically rich account of how feminism in India and in many Global South contexts has evolved through intersectional resistance rather than through linear waves. Although the session was cut shorter than expected, the key insights were drawn from both the presentation and the abstract. Dr. Gupta emphasized that Indian feminism cannot be fully understood through Western feminist wave theory; instead, it should be seen as a plural and regionally diverse revolution shaped by overlapping structures such as caste, religion, class, colonial legacies, and cultural taboos. Feminist resistance in countries like India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bhutan has long operated at the intersections of gender and religion, and also class, producing varied expressions of dissent and empowerment. Unlike dominant upper caste feminist narratives that often erase the lived realities of marginalized women, Dr. Gupta highlighted the critical work of Dalit, Muslim, disabled, and menstruating bodies in challenging ritual exclusion and social silencing. These feminisms focus on bodily autonomy, care work, and access to justice, and they manifest across poetic, legal, and personal registers.

Drawing from the paper’s abstract, Dr. Gupta also examined how Indian women have historically been confined to roles that idealize submissiveness, docility, and divine femininity, while the articulation of sexuality remained a male-dominated space. In contrast, contemporary Indian feminism has emboldened women to speak openly about their desires and challenge norms that restrict their biological and psychological well-being. Suppressing these fundamental aspects, she noted, obstructs healthy personal and collective growth. The presentation underscored that the original political aims of feminism (like voting) have since expanded into deeper challenges to structural inequality. Feminism is not about achieving perfection but about addressing urgent societal needs. It encourages us to reimagine society through complexity, embrace dialogue across differences, and create multiple pathways to justice. Grounded in the Indian Constitution’s promise of equality for all, feminism becomes both a legal and moral project to dismantle patriarchal hierarchies and promote inclusive citizenship. Dr. Gupta concluded by calling for a feminist future that resists homogenization, embraces pluralism, and boldly redefines power and agency in all its diverse forms.

4. Household Water Security for Women in Nalanda: A Case Study of Ganga Uplift Program Presented by: Dr. Smita Agarwal

Dr. Smita Agarwal’s presentation explored how large-scale water infrastructure projects intersect with the lived experiences of women in South Bihar. The region, already geologically divided and historically water-scarce (particularly in the southern districts) has seen its groundwater levels decline drastically due to both climate variability and rising consumption demands. As Bihar now falls under the ‘severe’ water stress category, the Government launched the Ganga Uplift Canal Program in 2022, aiming to redirect surplus monsoonal floodwaters from the north to the drier southern districts. The project lifts excess water from the Ganga River at the district border and channels it toward towns like Rajgir, a tourism hub in Nalanda district that heavily depends on rapidly depleting underground water reserves. Although officially, around 8000 out of 12000 households in Rajgir are said to be receiving piped water, the researcher found significant gaps between reported coverage and on-the-ground realities. Many households still lack regular access, and government statistics often contradict local experience, highlighting the need for accurate, disaggregated data.

The study takes a gendered lens to investigate how this infrastructural intervention has affected water security at the household level, especially for women, who bear the primary responsibility for securing water. Using random stratified sampling across caste and class categories, the study engages with households through focused group discussions to understand women’s daily experiences, coping mechanisms, and perceptions of state accountability. Preliminary findings show that while some improvements have occurred, water access remains uneven. Many women report receiving water for only two hours in the morning and two in the evening, yet official narratives portray the system as fully functional. In the absence of reliable infrastructure, community networks of mutual aid have emerged: for example, women often share water with neighbors in acts considered moral and religiously virtuous. Yet the systemic challenges persist. Groundwater recharge has not kept pace with demand, and the rainwater harvesting efforts envisioned by the government remain largely aspirational. Women, particularly housewives with limited access to information, are not only excluded from formal decision-making but also often unaware of their rights and entitlements related to water. Dr. Agarwal concluded by stressing that water security in the Global South cannot be assessed through infrastructural output alone. It must be rethought through the lived realities of those most impacted women navigating scarcity, bureaucracy, and social expectations. Her presentation makes a strong case for grounding development policy in participatory, gender-responsive frameworks that prioritize not just water delivery, but water justice.

Discussant’s Remarks and Audience Discussion Summary:

Ms. Srabastee De Bhaumik offered insightful and thought-provoking reflections on all the presentations. She particularly engaged with the Kashmir paper, questioning the assumption of law as a neutral or universally applicable construct, noting instead that law often operates as a masculinized and Western-centered space of power. The presenter responded by briefly discussing whether it is possible to reconceptualize law from a feminist and marginalized standpoint, urging the inclusion of women’s lived experiences in order to challenge the internalized masculinity of legal institutions. They also reflected on the role of religion as another structure of patriarchal control and encouraged a rethinking of legal justice from more inclusive and experience-based perspectives.

Turning to the Nalanda water security paper, she raised critical questions around who defines and measures "development," and how development programs affect women's intimate lives, particularly in terms of domestic violence and child marriage. The presenter expressed skepticism toward Western development models and stressed the importance of recognizing geographical and social variation, such as the role of landlords, local conflict over access, and inconsistencies in household registration, especially where renters are excluded from official data. She also pointed to the manipulations required to obtain local data and raised objections to feminist movements that rely heavily on Western blueprints, arguing for locally rooted frameworks.

For the Mizoram paper, she posed a thoughtful question on how women are perceived both publicly and privately within restrictive cultural frameworks. She emphasized that external constitutional mandates may be insufficient in deeply traditional societies like Mizoram, where transformation must emerge from within the community. She asked how women can negotiate with tradition to expand the boundaries of political behavior.

To Dr. Anju Gupta, she posed a compelling question on how we might avoid universalizing feminism, suggesting that moving beyond liberal frameworks is essential, especially when considering disabled or queer feminist movements in India. She also highlighted the potential of digital platforms as spaces for new feminist expression in the Global South.

During the open discussion, an audience member asked Dr. Gupta how lesbian and queer women, who are minorities within minorities, can be included in broader feminist discourses in the Global South. Dr. Gupta responded by acknowledging that sexuality remains a major taboo despite the progress made by the MeToo movement and legal reforms for the LGBTQ+ community. She emphasized that public awareness campaigns and grassroots movements are vital to challenging embedded religious and cultural restrictions, especially when led from within marginalized communities themselves.

Closing Note 

The panel successfully shed light on the nuanced gender dynamics of the Global South, offering rich insights into the intersections of tradition, political representation, and structural inequality. From legal ethnographies in Kashmir to feminist resistance in Mizoram, and the gendered realities of water access in Bihar to the plural trajectories of Indian feminism, the panelists delivered deeply thoughtful and well-researched contributions that invited critical reflection and further inquiry. The diversity of cases and methodological approaches significantly enriched the conversation, offering an important challenge to Western-centric narratives and reaffirming the value of context-specific feminist scholarship.

While the quality of the presentations was exceptional, the session unfortunately suffered from time constraints and a lack of smooth facilitation, which resulted in multiple interruptions and limited several panelists’ opportunities to present their work fully. A more structured approach could have allowed for a more balanced and engaging exchange. Nevertheless, the panelists navigated these challenges with professionalism, ensuring that their key messages resonated with the audience. However, the need to maintain a feminist approach to facilitation in spaces like this, which respects especially the labour of young scholars, should be noted by the rapporteur.