Women’s Studies: An Emerging Discipline

Women’s Studies have recently gained recognition as an academic discipline. More and more institutions of higher learning are adding the subject to their curriculum. Besides, assorted women’s groups all over the country are engaged in preparing the theoretical and practical base of the emerging academic discipline. Teaching, research and action are the three-fold approach towards it. This work is the result of the combined efforts of some of India’s leading academics and activists at work today. They have brought out in their analysis the many-splendoured study of women’s problems. “Our aim is to break the women’s forced silence. The shell has to be broken and women must become visible”, as one contributor rightly says. This pioneering effort to focus on women as a subject will help understand the sensitive and important discipline and evolve meaningful methodology for research.