Women's Movements

Women's right to equality and participation in all spheres of National Development is a fundamental and basic principle of Indian Political Tradition. Women had played a very significant role in the history of freedom movement in India. Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, Eswara Chandra Vidya Sagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Poole, Kante, Karve, Gandhiji, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Annie Besant, Dr.B.R. Ambedkar etc, were the prominent reformers who worked for the cause of women. During 19th and 20th Centuries several efforts were made by the social reformers to uplift women, educate them and train them so that they would imbibe the ideals of Nationalism, Patriotism, Liberty, Democracy etc. The last three decades has been marked by the growth and development of Women's Movement in India. International women's year (1975) and International women's decade (1976-1985) provided a leverage to Women's Movement in India. Participation of Women in Chipko Movement, Telangana Movement, Anti-Rape Movement, Anti-price rise Movement, Anti-Arrack Movement and other issue based movements provided a backdrop for the ensuing struggle on Women's issues and problems.
Thus the basic elements of women's movements can be identified as:
• Collective mobilization
• Presence of an ideology
• Orientation towards change
This book will be highly useful to the students of Social Sciences especially Women's Studies, Sociology, Social Work, History, Economics and also to the students and Research Scholars specializing in Human Development and NGO's and also other functionaries dealing with women.