The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences organised the Book Release of Dr K. Kalpana’s book “Women, Microfinance and the State in Neo-liberal India” published byRoutledge India on 22nd February.
The book was released by Prof Sriram P, Dean (Administration), IIT-Madras and the first copy was received by Prof Umakant Dash, Headof the Department. Prof Sriram congratulated Dr Kalpana for her efforts and wished the book success. He also highlighted the exceptional role played by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras in contributing to an inclusive engineering program. He lauded the department’s active involvement in academic research and institute affairs.
Prof Nitya Rao, Professor of Gender and Development at the University of East Anglia, reviewed the book and commended the author for the rigorous and critical analysis of the subject. Prof Rao said that many accounts end up valorising the women, and while there is nothing wrong in this, it might detract from a structural analysis.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kalpana recollected that her interest as an activist drew her to the vision of SHGs as tools of women’s mobilisation.She thanked colleagues at the Institute and the Department for their encouragement and support, as well as her family and friends. She also mentioned the richness of the book in empirical data and its usefulness to students and researchers alike.
Ms Aswathy P, Research Scholar, and Ms Madhura Balasubramaniam, MA student, discussed the book and read excerpts. The event was hosted by Dr Mathangi Krishnamurthy. Guests, faculty, scholars and students were present on the occasion.
About the Author –
Dr K. Kalpana is Assistant Professor at the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT Madras. She has written extensively on gender, poverty, women’s labour and microcredit. She has been an activist with people’s science movements and has organized women’s microcredit (Self Help Group) federations and ‘Right to Health’ campaigns that included public audits of rural primary health centres and women’s health status. She is currently an Executive Committee member of the Indian Association of Women’s Studies. She participates actively in Tamil feminist theatre as well as in workshops and campaigns for gender equality organized by women’s rights movements and NGOs.
– By Akshay Patil.
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