Proshant Chakraborty

Sal: 302

Slides: 2.feminist-applied-activist-part-1-h22.pptx

(Before you read the text, please note that in our seminar I will provide the necessary background and context about India, the state of Uttar Pradesh, local politics, the work of development and women's NGOs, etc. So you have no need to worry about that!)

Welcome to the first seminar on the theme of feminist, applied and activist anthropologies.

In this seminar, we will examine how feminist and ethnographic practices of collaboration both converge and diverge, and how this can shape our understanding of broader forms of public engagements.

The texts we will discuss include the introduction and first chapter from Playing With Fire , an experimental and critical text that weaves together accounts of co-writing, collaboration and critique between an academic and activists in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Before we discuss the text, we will look at how anthropologist Marilyn Strathern has examined the relationship between anthropology and feminism, particularly how each discipline engages with their "others." We will then use these discussions to broaden our understanding of what we mean by "publics."

You are invited to reflect on some of the following questions:

Does the "public" only include those who read or consume our words? Or can it include communities and individuals with whom we collaborate?
What do we owe these publics? Can such relationships be reciprocal?
How do we shape and build relationships with powerful institutions, like states and NGOs?
What can feminism and anthropology teach each other, and what can we learn from these convergences?

Readings:

Nagar, Richa. 2006. Introduction: Playing With Fire: A Collective Journey Across Borders.

Sangtin Writers. 2006. Chapter 1: Beginnings of a Collective Journey.

Both texts are from the book, Playing With Fire: Feminist Thought and Activism Through Seven Lives in India (Link).

Background reading:

Strathern, Marilyn. 1987. An Awkward Relationship: The Case of Feminism and Anthropology. Signs 12(2). (Link).

Merry, Sally Engle. 2019. Chapter 3: Gender and Sexuality. In Jeremy MacClancy, ed., Exotic No More: Anthropology for a Contemporary World (Physical copy available in GU Library).