Beyond Indices
Rethinking Gender, Sexuality and Marriage in Development
11-15 September, 2019
The current discourse around ‘development’ emerged in the post World War II period and has been evolving ever since. From understanding development as a process of modernisation through industrialisation and urbanisation, to shifts in the discourse conceptualising it as a system of social relations, development today is largely focused on reducing inequalities, at least in terms of objectives it promises to drive towards. Within these shifting paradigms, how do questions on gender and sexuality enter, shape and/or exit development frameworks? Today, gender and sexuality have emerged to become buzz words within the development discourse. Global institutions as well as national policy-making bodies have been making attempts to engage with ideas that promote ‘gender mainstreaming’. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) has become integral to understanding inclusion within development. But how have these developments come to be as they are today? What is the historical trajectory of shifts in the ways gender and sexuality emerged within the development discourse? How has the women’s movement contributed to these shifts? But most importantly, what are the links between our personal experiences of gender and sexuality and the larger development frameworks and how will that impact the work we do?
About the Workshop: Samvada in collaboration with Sambhaavnaa is offering a 5-day workshop, breaking down, exploring and re-thinking concepts of gender and sexuality in the context of development. The workshop will offer a space for participants to reflect on their own understanding and experiences of gender, sexuality, relationships and marriage and link them to the development discourse. Using methodology that works through self-reflection, critical social perspectives and dialogue, the workshop aims to:
- Break down and explore the concepts and meanings of gender, sexuality, relationships and marriage in our own lives.
- Critically examine the ways in which gender, sexuality, relationships and marriage are placed within the development discourse.
- Examine the ways in which gender and sexuality (have) become markers of development.
- Explore the links that exist between our personal experiences of gender, sexuality, relationships and marriage and the larger development discourse.
Schedule:
Day 1
Session 1: What is Gender?
How do I understand my gender – nature v/s culture? Are men and women different from each other? What does this difference come from – biology, social norms or history? What does biological difference imply and what do we assume because of biological difference? Rethinking sex v/s gender. Moving away from binaries towards a spectrum.
Session 2: Gender and intersectionality
What is intersectionality? How does it play out in my own life? (activity) How does intersectionality help to understand various social categories and identities and its impact on lived experiences? What is the need to look at gender from an intersectional lens? What is the relevance of intersectionality in development today?
Session 3: Gender and Development
What are the frameworks within which gender is placed within the development discourse – from Women in Development to Gender and Development? Gender as a marker of ‘progress’ – what does it mean and is there a need to rethink this? What are the questions/issues of gender that emerge as a development concern today?
Day 2
Session 1: Sexuality
Relevance of discussing sex and sexuality – is there a need to talk about sex? Why don’t we talk about it? How do we understand our own sexual practices? How are they influenced by what I encounter in the world?
Session 2: Understanding Sexual Politics
What is sexual politics – is it freedom, autonomy? How do we understand sexual politics within our own lives? What are the ways in which power operates within sexual politics?
How does power, patriarchy and caste come together to perpetuate a certain kind of sexual politics? India in the time of ‘Me too’ – how do we understand sex and sexual relationships?
Session 3: Sexuality and Development
What are the frameworks within which sexuality is placed within development? How has sexuality emerged to become a marker of development? How do questions of sexuality become a development concern – population control and sexuality/control over women’s bodies, reproductive medical technology, sex work, caste-based sexual labour, sexual health (menstruation, HIV)?
Day 3
Session 1: Relationships
Relationship circle activity. How does power play out in relationships? Where do I have more power? What drives this power? What is the nature of this power? Is it constant or does it keep shifting?
Session 2: Love, Romance and Relationships in the 21st Century
What are our ideas of love and romance? Where are they coming from? How are our expectations from romantic relationships formed? What makes it difficult – inter caste, inter religious, same-sex relationships? Power within romantic/sexual relationships. How is power within such relationships different from power in other relationships?
Session 3: Relationships in the context of development
What is the link between social relationships and economic growth, and how has this link changed historically? How are the relationships that we form – romantic and non-romantic ones – connected to the development question? Are issues like love jihad, honour killing and love failure linked to certain ideas of development?
Day 4
Session 1: Marriage – Some Reflections
How do I feel about marriage? What are my expectations from marriage? What are my experiences of marriage? What is an ideal marriage? What do I seek in an ideal partner? Where are my ideas of an ideal marriage or ideal partner coming from? What is my understanding of division of labour and marriage?
Session 2: Marriage – A Historical Perspective
Understanding marriage as an institution – historically and in the present context. Marriage as a patriarchal institution, marriage as an institution that perpetuates caste hierarchies – caste endogamy.
Session 3: Marriage and development
What are the links between marriage and the economy? What is the relationship between marriage, family structures and the economy – joint family, nuclear family?
Understanding the emergence of the marriage market. How does it feed into certain notions of development?
Day 5
Round table:
Participants bringing in how gender and sexuality frame the development discourse in their own contexts. (Subject to change)
Resource Persons:
- Poornima Kumar is currently the Programme Associate at Samvada. In her current role, she designs and executes English programmes within the Youth Resource Centre (on sustainability, gender and consent, and waste management); is involved in national-level Youth Work Promotion and network building; was on the course team of the Counselling for Women’s Wellness and Justice PG Diploma course and has taught in various courses in Baduku; has developed material and curriculum for the Youth Work course; and is now involved in a research project titled From Working with Youth to Youth Work. She has facilitated sessions as part of consultancy workshops on Teaching Skills, Gender Sensitization, Diversity in the Workplace and Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace. She completed a Masters degree in Women’s Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Science (Mumbai) and has been working at Samvada for 2 years.
- Dr. Nitya Vasudevan is currently the Convener, Kanaja: Knowledge and Resource Centre and Co-convener, Centre for Wellness and Justice (Baduku Community College) at Samvada. In these roles she convenes the 6-Month PG Diploma course in Counselling for Women’s Wellness and Justice (English), the upcoming online course in Gender Justice and Law, and has facilitated workshops and sessions on Gender Sensitization, Diversity in the Workplace, Women’s Empowerment, Youth Empowerment, and Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace, as part of different consultancy assignments. She also convenes the Youth Research Cell and the Curriculum Review Committee as Kanaja convener, and manages the AJWS project on Early and Childhood Marriage. Nitya has completed a PhD in Cultural Studies and has also been on the Organising Committee of the Bangalore Queer Film Festival for the past ten years.
(More resource persons to be added soon.)
Who is the workshop for? We welcome anyone who desires to constructively understand, and engage with, some of the processes that attempt to explain the current narratives related to gender and development, on the basis of ideas/issues that have been mentioned above. However, preference would be given to people who want to work on these themes or are already doing so.
Dates and Venue: 11th to 15th September, 2019, Sambhaavnaa Institute, VPO – Kandbari, Tehsil – Palampur, District – Kangra, PIN 176061, Himachal Pradesh
Contribution towards Programs Costs: We hope that participants would contribute an amount of Rs 4000/- towards workshop expenses. However, for those who cannot afford this amount, please feel free to choose the partial contribution option in the application form.
Language: English (with a little bit of Hindi)
How to reach: Please visit: Getting here
For any other info: WhatsApp or call Shashank: 889 422 7954 (between 10 am to 5 pm), and e-mail: programs@sambhaavnaa.org
Kindly fill the application form below:
(There is a sincere request we have to make. If you fill the form and get a confirmation from our side for your participation, please do not make cancellations at the last moment, unless there are unforeseen circumstances. So, while filling the form, please try to make sure you do not have anything else planned in advance for the dates of the workshop. It takes some time to process the forms and begin our preparations for the workshop. If you back out after the confirmation, it sends our preparations for a toss, in addition to the time and effort we are expending. Also, many other people who are eager to attend miss out on the opportunity. We shall really appreciate your consideration, and hope you understand the need for such a request.)