Women in Indian History

There is a stereotypical view about women from Asia that they are passive and submissive, and always have been. This is not the case. Although there have been constraints on women and their activities in most societies around the world throughout history, it is also the case that, from many ancient, medieval and modern societies and nations we know of women who challenged stereotypes and fought for the right to be treated equally to men. We will study ancient, medieval and modern Indian queens and rulers, and give students the opportunity to assess their achievements. These will include Raziya, the eldest daughter of thirteenth century Delhi Sultan Iltutmish, the only known woman to have ruled an Islamic empire, and Mai Bhago, the female Sikh solider and warrior.

Feminism is often considered to be European or Western in origin, but again this is far from the case. In this workshop, students will be given worksheets containing biographies of women from South Asian history, and detailing organisations championing women’s rights. Students will examine the issues South Asian women have faced, and actions they took – challenging the lack of education for women, refusing to be bound by child marriages, and taking direct action against organisations and institutions that held women back.