Journal of South Asia Women Studies (JSAWS) vol. 13, n. 1
I am happy to announce that the Journal of South Asia Women Studies (JSAWS) vol. 13, n. 1 is out!
In this issue we publish the Editorial Note and two papers: “The Politics of Neo-liberalism, Sexuality and Islam“ by Shaireen Rasheed, Associate professor of Philosophy at the School of Education at Long Island University (USA); and “Indian Women in Community Radio: The Case Studies of Radio Namaskar in Orissa and Radio Dhadkan in Madhya Pradesh” by Daniela Bandelli, PhD student at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland (Australia), based on her thesis of Master of Communication for Social Change at the same university.
Enjoy!
Abstracts
Indian Women in Community Radio: The Case Studies of Radio Namaskar in Orissa and Radio Dhadkan in Madhya Pradesh, by Daniela Bandelli
Community Radio stations are run by community-based organizations, their programs are usually in local language and produced by ordinary people according to territory specific information needs. In India, Community Radio is a flourishing sector and an opportunity for women, who are traditionally excluded from the public sphere. This paper aims to provide an understanding on four dimensions of empowerment that are initiated through participation in Community Radio and on how gender norms and roles interweave with such a process. This objective is pursued through two qualitative case studies: Radio Namaskar, in Orissa, and Radio Dhadkan, in Madhya Pradesh. The study shows that, although responsibility of domestic duties, restricted mobility and submission to in-laws hinder women’s participation in Community Radio, elements of empowerment, such as improved awareness, skills, access to information, consideration within family and community and motivation to engage in social change, occur.
The Politics of Neo-liberalism, Sexuality and Islam, by Shaireen Rasheed
In order to rethink the role of experience in the critique of postcolonial modernity, it becomes important to examine the links between the poetic work of language and the feminist critique of experience. By critically examining the work of the current genre of south Asian writers such as Irshad Manji and Ayaan Hirsi Ali my paper is going to analyze how such literary discourses are being used to negotiate cultural stereotypes of women and Islam. Ultimately by contextualizing the current literary discourse on women and Islam within an ethical phenomenology, I hope to further problematise the voice of the subject in these literary texts and question whether it can ever be understood, experienced, and read in such a way as to be authentic.