From the Inside Out: Discussing Women's Empowerment with the Women's Studies Department at the University of Calicut

Abstract

This paper will contribute to the academic discussion surrounding education and its effects on the empowerment of Keralite women. Kerala’s education system has been highly praised as a model for development due to its high performance in standard developmental indicators. This model, however, is increasingly becoming contested in academic scholarship, specifically due to its perpetuation of inequality amongst marginalized groups, such as women and members of lower castes. This work will explore the culture-specific relationship between women and their social surroundings and the critiques made by the women in the Women’s Studies Department at the University of Kerala will take an active role in participating in the discussion of education and its effects on the positionality of women in Kerala, illuminating new required avenues of scholarship and attention.