Skool Wurk

Back in Jaipur for the next week and a half! This doesn't sounds like a long time, but our program travels a whole lot. In this 15-week semester, we have 2 one-week long excursions followed by 1-eight day workshop where our group is split up (so sad!) into 4 different locations (4-5 students in each group lead by 2 staff members.) The purpose of the workshop is to spend more one-on-one time in a particular setting to have the chance to build a rapport with the people and get to know the organizations that work there. I'm going to a village called Ogna outside the city of Udaipur, in southern Rajasthan (population 2,000!) Apparently this village is a prime example of sustainable agriculture. It also is a good example of a community that practices Gandhian economics of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. I chose to come here because the organization we'll be working with has a prominent focus on women's rights and empowerment (the subject of my Independent Study Project.) I want to get a head start on interviewing women in rural villages to gain a basic understanding about what their roles in their communities are, as well as their levels of confidence, autonomy, and empowerment in a community that will most likely be very traditional in terms of gender roles (as is the case in a lot of Rajasthan...which I've been realizing more and more is one of the most "conservative" states in India...especially in terms of gender-inequity.) Another group is heading to Mumbai to study urban development and waste planning. Another is going to Dharamshala, and another is going to the state of Sikkim in the northeast part of the country (I opted out of this choice because I plan on going to Sikkim for my independent study project for 2 weeks)...where I plan on spending time in a rural village conducting interviews with women to contrast THEIR roles in their communities with the women in Rajasthan. Sikkim is well-known as being egalitarian with a history of women holding power positions in their communities. I'm fascinated by the gender-dynamics here in India because they are SO different from in the states. However, after spending some time here and doing my research on women in India, I've found that the stereotype of the passive, subordinated, selfless Indian woman is not the norm. I want to debunk this stereotype by (hopefully) finding evidence in Sikkim that there ARE places where Indian women have a stake in the decisions made in her household, her community, and in her government. Should be fun!

SIDE NOTE: I read in an article about conducting interviews that women with short hair statistically are able to have better access to village resources and information because they are seen as being more "masculine." Hooray for patriarchal norms working in my favor??