Power Vs. Representation: Feminist Dilemmas, Ambivalent State and the Debate on Reservation for Women in India

Abstract

This paper tries to lay out some of the reasons why a fresh interrogation may be vital at the current conjuncture. Although the Indian women's movement can legitimately claim a rich, unique history, recent upheavals are forcing us to reconceptualize (or, it could be argued, to conceptualize for the first time) the basic concepts of patriarchy, gender and empowerment.