Women in Modern India

Through their own accounts, the author traces the history of Indian women from the nineteenth century under colonial rule to the twentieth century after Independence.

Geraldine Forbes (Author)

9780521653770, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 April 1999

312 pages, 17 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.3 x 2.1 cm, 0.515 kg

'… this is a comprehensive and carefully put together record of the developments that shaped women's lives in India during the 19th and 20th centuries.' Sunday Herald (India)

In a compelling study of Indian women, Geraldine Forbes considers their recent history from the nineteenth century under colonial rule to the twentieth century after Independence. She begins with the reform movement, established by men to educate women, and demonstrates how education changed women's lives enabling them to take part in public life. Through their own accounts of their lives and activities, she documents the formation of their organisations, their participation in the struggle for freedom, their role in the colonial economy and the development of the women's movement in India since 1947.

Introduction
l. Reform in the nineteenth century: efforts to modernize women's roles
2. Education for women
3. The emergence of women's organizations
4. The movement for women's rights
5. Women in the nationalist movement
6. Women's work in colonial India
7. A time of transition
8. Women in independent India
Bibliographic essay.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]