Global Challenge Research Funding case study
Decolonising Feminism in South Asia
In the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report India was ranked 108 and Pakistan 148 out of 149 countries. Women are under-represented in research leadership positions in both countries despite significant expansion in Higher Education in recent years (“Women in Higher Education Leadership in South Asia”, 2015).
Decolonising Feminism was a collaborative project led by Dr Rachel Carroll (Teesside) and Dr Fiona Tolan (LJMU), leading members of the Contemporary Women’s Writing Association. Recognising the vital role played by contemporary women writers and researchers in addressing issues of gender equality, this project forged new international research networks between scholars in India, Pakistan and the UK. It did so with two main aims: to advance research on contemporary writing by South Asian women authors and to promote the professional development of South Asian women early career researchers.
This research agenda for this project was co-created with project partners, Dr Stuti Khanna (Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi) and Dr Nukhbah Langah (Forman Christian College, Lahore) through a series of strategic planning meetings culminating in an international research symposium, Beyond Western Eyes: South Asian Women’s Writing in Contemporary Contexts (Friday 28 June 2019). Women early career researchers from IIT and FCC played a leading role in the symposium, presenting new research and contributing to a roundtable on ECR research development in South Asian contexts.
The benefits of this project took two forms. Firstly, new insights into historical legacies and contemporary challenges in relation to gender equality as revealed through original research on contemporary writing by South Asian women. Secondly, researcher development for women early career researchers, redressing inequalities of opportunity and enabling the next generation of research leaders to shape future agendas. Significant value was given to research exchange across national borders by scholars in India and Pakistan, with restrictions on researcher mobility identified as a key challenge.
Next steps
A programme of researcher development for South Asia women ECRs is in development in response to the needs and priorities identified through this forum. The networks established by this event will form the basis of an international research network centring on the cultural production and creative careers of South Asian women.
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