Call for Papers| IAWS Southern Regional Conference: Submit by June 20

About the Indian Association for Women’s Studies (IAWS)

The formation of the IAWS can be traced back to the resurgence of the women’s movement in India in the mid-1970s and the publication of Towards Equality, the path-breaking report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) set up by the Government of India prior to the First UN World Conference of Women held in Mexico, in 1975. Several social scientists and academicians in India were associated with the CSWI process, many of whom chose to develop initiatives in the field of Women’s Studies. The SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, set up a Research Unit on Women in 1974, and the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) set up a Women’s Studies Unit in the mid- 1970s, to facilitate research focusing on women through Fellowships/ grants. The early 1980s saw the setting up of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS) and the Institute for Social Studies Trust (ISST) in New Delhi. Several of the pioneers came together to organise the first National Conference on Women’s Studies in 1981, held at SNDT University, Mumbai. This historic conference identified women’s studies as a ‘critical perspective’ to be integrated into all disciplines and the need for universities to initiate activities focusing on women’s struggle for equality in independent India through research, teaching and other interactive platforms. To further these aims, the conference resolved to set up the Indian Association for Women’s Studies (IAWS) which was registered as a membership-based organisation in 1982. The SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai and CWDS, New Delhi are Founding institutions of the IAWS.

About the opportunity

The IAWS Southern Regional Conference on “Debating Current Policies of State, Market and Judiciary in South India: An Intersectional Approach” is being jointly organized by IAWS, LCWW- TNNLU & DWS- BDU, on July 8 & 9, 2022.

South India has been performing better in terms of social indicators compared to other parts of the country. Kerala has been at the forefront in attending to the pandemic, floods or other natural calamities focusing on people’s participation.

The recent local body elections both in Kerala and Tamil Nadu with 50 percent reservation for women were remarkably inclusive where young women from Dalit, Tribal communities below 25 years could be elected as president or councilors. The State machinery has been quite proactive where Telegana has implemented a decentralized administration offering leadership positions to hitherto excluded
communities, Tamil Nadu following the Dravidian model, Kerala the people-centric, decentralized model, etc.

However, inequality in various forms continues to persist, whether it has to do with wealth or access to public goods such as education and health, economic opportunities, participation in decision-making positions, inequality in life etc.

Women are disproportionally affected by these inequalities. The intersectionality of class, caste, religion, region, race etc further worsens the position of women with triple disadvantage. Unpaid care work burden, lack of economic opportunities and skilling, technological up-gradation, the priority of women’s role in the care economy, etc has been further reinforced in the current context, which is evidenced by the lowest economic participation of women to less than 20 percent during the pandemic years. The sudden and complete lockdown left several people without a livelihood and pushed them over the edge of starvation and destitution.

About the Conference

Child marriages were on the increase during the pandemic. Karnataka and Telengana registered a nearly 30 percent increase in child marriages during 2020-21. School closures and online classes contributed to the digital divide, girls drop out and the fear of ‘sexual impurity and honour of the family, and considering the girls as ‘burden’ etc. have pushed the families to silently undertake young girls to marry.

The plight of migrant women, front line workers, unorganized sector workers, etc who suffered from loss of employment, half wage if employed, lack of infrastructure and basic facilities etc. cannot be exaggerated.

The declining sex ratio is quite threatening. Kerala and Tamil Nadu as per the NFHS -52019-20 have registered a drastic decline in the sex ratio unfavourable to girls though Andhra, Karnataka and Telangana showed an improvement.

Increasing violence against women, custodial violence to honour killing, sexual harassment at workplaces, suicides of schoolgirls, increased human trafficking and flesh trade etc were widely reported. There is a knowledge gap in identifying the intersectionality of domestic violence and the functioning of a redressal mechanism by the government in preventing the occurrence of various types of domestic violence.

Localizing Sustainable Development Goals has been gaining momentum from 2015 onwards and it is high time to explore goal five which insists on gender equality with its sub-sections 5.1. End all forms of discrimination against women & 5.2. Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres.

Though the gender component of development in Kerala brought out overall progress to the women, many issues, like increasing dowry harassment, domestic violence, sexual harassment at workplaces, declining work participation of women, unemployment of educated women and the general cultural setting of misogyny remain as challenges in the state which is true for the other southern states as well.

The development policies with the State, legislation passed, and the policy reforms introduced in the labor markets etc are not really favoring women with the given deep-rooted socio-cultural patriarchal norms. The welfare aspects of state policies are confined within the limits set by an economy that is at once informal and highly slanted in favour of a group of capitalists, who control vast chains of production
which are fragmented and split at every level.

It was witnessed as to how easy it was for capital to remain unfazed through the pandemic, and even grow its profits in the context where the poor suffered with hunger and hopelessness. There is growing
discontent that the aspirations of the youth, especially from the marginalized classes/castes, for better education and employment, have not been met by the States, thus continuing a cycle of poverty and social exclusion.

States in India have had to reckon with the reality and each has done this in different ways. In Telangana, the state bureaucracy, often led by women bureaucrats, has attempted to channel part of the limited resources available to them towards a gender-sensitizing education at school and college levels. They have reached out to academics and civil society organizations to realize this objective which is aimed at questioning dominant assumptions about gender and creating a more equitable society.

Tamil Nadu Government has come out with State Policy for Women in 2021 focusing on gender inclusivity. The schemes such as free buses for women, transforming the women’s welfare schemes to recognize their agency, etc. are a few to mention.

Gender Budgeting introduced by the Government of Kerala for the last few years has resulted in a
considerable gradual increase in the allocation of funds in the state budget for schemes for women and transgender people.

All the Southern States have been towards the inclusion of Trans people. Whether it is the Kerala model or the Dravidian model or the Telangana growth model, each of these relies on a welfare basket to secure votes and legitimacy, but there is no real economic debate about major issues of concern.

Against this backdrop, the time has now come to debate on the current policies in order to identify the shortcomings and suggest suitable measures to address the same.

Call for Papers

IAWS Southern Regional Conference on “Debating Current Policies of State, Market and Judiciary in South India: An Intersectional Approach” jointly organized by IAWS, LCWW- TNNLU & DWS- BDU will be held on July 8 & 9, 2022.

The Conference invites contributions in the form of full-length scholarly papers documenting original and substantial research work.

Theme

“Debating Current Policies of State, Market and Judiciary in South India: An Intersectional Perspective”

Sub Themes

• Declining Sex ratio and economic participation of women in the context of increasing participation of women in education.
• Early marriage and its association with the socio-economic issues.
• Educational options for the poor and a burgeoning private investment in health.
• Women’s Workforce Participation in the rural and urban, formal and informal sector- the plight of front line workers workers, migrant workers
• Informalisation of labor, unpaid care work and its plight on the worker’s rights and the travails of female laborers in the disaster and pandemic context.
• Gender in STEM- imparting scientific temper in the school curriculum and investment in engendering curriculum.
• Unpaid care work, promoting the mobility of women, investing in strategic gender needs- State Initiatives in South India.
• Women-owned enterprises, self-employment, credit burden post-pandemic, the class, caste, and gender dynamics.
• Local Body Elections – young and marginalized women’s inclusion- role and contributions of students, and other forms of movements, Dravidian political parties and other political parties towards inclusive governance.
• Increasing Violence against women, working-class, Dalits, domestic violence, Communal Violence, Hijab row, and emerging new forms of violence –System of devadasis and trafficking -State, and civil society accountability.
• Women in IT sector, work from home, shadow pandemic.
• Federalism, and the State government Autonomy, surveillance, and control.
• Affirmative Initiatives and intervention of the State, Development Organizations, Market, and Judiciary towards women and girls.

Research paper guidelines

• Abstract: Not exceeding 300 words
• Keywords: Maximum of 5
• Full Research Paper: Should not be less than 3000 words
• Font style & Size: Times New Roman & 12
• Line spacing: Double & justified alignment
• Endnotes: Times New Roman (size 10), Endnotes style: MLA 8th Edition
• Co-authorship is allowed up to a maximum of 2 authors.
• A soft copy of the abstract should be uploaded in the given link within 11:59 PM on or before June 20, 2022 in the Registration Link mentioned at the end of this post.
• Abstract submitted by the registered participants only will be shortlisted for the online presentation.
• Selected participants have to send the full papers to [email protected] on or before June 30, 2022.
• The Editorial Board will reserve the right to reject or edit any paper.
• Selected papers will be published with a reputed publisher.

Eligibility

The conference is open to students(UG and PG), Research Scholars, Academicians, Development Organizations, Movements etc.

Registration

To register for the conference, Click here

Each co-author has to register themselves individually and pay the fees applicable individually.

Those who need accommodation must inform on or before June 27, 2022 by 5 PM about the date of arrival and departure.

Bank Details

• Name of the Account Holder: Registrar TNNLU legal Centre for Women’s welfare
• A/C Number: 30030110035443
• Bank: UCO Bank,
• Branch: TNNLS Branch
• MICR: 620 028 012
• IFSC Code: UCBA0003003
• Swift Code: UCBAINBB342
• UPI ID: tnnlulegalcntr@ucobank

Important Dates

• Last Date for Registration: June 20, 2022
• Last Date for Abstract Submission: June 20, 2022
• Intimation of Abstract Selection: June 25, 2022
• Full Paper Submission: June 30, 2022
• Conference Date: July 8 & 9, 2022

Contact

Ms. Rajeswari Pari
Assistant Professor of Law, TNNLU
Email: [email protected]
Mobile Number: +91-8056266296

Ms. Shanthi Samandha K.
Assistant Professor of Law, TNNLU
Email: [email protected]
Mobile Number: +91-9600037393