mary thanpuii | University of Calcutta (original) (raw)
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straddles between two fields, music and academia. She is a sitarist trained in North Indian Class... more straddles between two fields, music and academia. She is a sitarist trained in North Indian Classical music and graduated in 2013 with a PhD in Cultural Studies. Sharda's musical work comprises primarily fusion of the various genres of music in the Caribbean with North Indian classical music. Her position as a musical practitioner and performing artiste is one that provides her with intimate knowledge of the working of the musical landscape of Trinidad, where her father Mungal Patasar set the stage for musical collaborations with his pioneering work in fusion music that encapsulates the Trinidadian experience. Her academic writing and journalism are influenced by this heritage and her personal experience as an Indo-Trinidadian/Caribbean artiste. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharda-patasar-66a84724/ Reshma Chhibba Reshma Chhiba is a visual artist and dancer based in Johannesburg. She holds a BAFA (2005) and an MAFA (2013), from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a diploma in Bharatanatyam (2002) from the Institute of Indian Art and Culture (South Africa). She currently serves as Exhibitions Coordinator at The Point of Order, an experimental exhibition space run by the Division of Visual Arts, Wits University. Chhibba was joint winner of the Wits School of Arts Martienssen Prize in 2003. In 2007 she was selected by the Goethe Institut to work as an art mediator at Documenta 12, in Kassel, Germany. She has participated in numerous group shows and her solo exhibitions include Kali-Art Extra (2008) and The Two Talking Yonis-Constitution Hill Women's Jail, Kalashnikovv Gallery and Room Gallery (2013), in which she collaborated with curator Nontobeko Ntombela.
PeacePrint, 2021
The Mizoram Accord of 1986 carried the promise that 'the rights and privileges of the minorities ... more The Mizoram Accord of 1986 carried the promise that 'the rights and privileges of the minorities in Mizoram as envisaged in the Constitution shall continue to be preserved and protected, and their social and economic advancement shall be ensured'. These observations, reflecting the signing of the "Mizoram Accord" or "Memorandum of Settlement" between the Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Government of India on 30 June 1986 were expected to set in motion an inclusive process of socioeconomic development for all, including women after years of insurgency. This paper focuses on women who experienced the Mizo insurgency from 1966 to 1986, and addresses specific and largely unexamined aspects of the suffering experienced by them under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. The story of the insurgency in Mizoram is not well known, the story of how women were affected is largely absent from history. Utilizing women's oral testimonies, the paper investigates the impact of insurgency on women and the extent to which the Accord's promises have affected their lives and livelihood.
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Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 2021
Using the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl [MHIP] or Mizo Women's Organization as a case study, thi... more Using the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl [MHIP] or Mizo Women's Organization as a case study, this paper explores whether women's participation in informal politics leads to women's empowerment. Since the birth of the MHIP in 1972, the organization adopted various strategies, to try to improve the status for women in society. The MHIP has also tried to modify different Mizo Customary laws that disadvantage women in marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Beginning in 1980, they submitted several recommendations to the government. Focusing on the economic, social, and political development of women, the MHIP declared each year as 'Women's year' for the last 12 years (1997-2011). Although the MHIP has addressed the social and economic status of women, worked to improve women's status in the public sphere, and sought changes in Mizo Customary law, they have not challenged basic definitions of women's roles and the gendered division of work attached to these roles. This article adopts qualitative approach to understand the various strategies adopted by MHIP to improve women's status, it attempts to explore the issues MHIP addressed as well as their conception of women's essential nature and proper role in society. Data were collected over a period of six month during January 2019 to June 2019, from the record of MHIP General Assembly minute book from 2009-2015. My observation is that the MHIP's efforts to improve the status of women without challenging the gendered division of labour and access to resources is unlikely to lead to empowerment for women
Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Foundation, 2019
women's action in t he m i zo n at ion al f ro nt m o vem en t 1 9 66-1 98 7 mary vanlalthanpuii
Yonsei Journal of International Studies, 2019
Nidān: International Journal for Indian Studies, 2019
Volume of a special issue of Christianity in India
Church history in Mizoram omits women and pays little attention to the role played by Mizos in th... more Church history in Mizoram omits women and pays little attention to the role played by Mizos in their own conversion. This paper seeks to restore the role of women in the church, while focusing on their financial contribution to building the early Presbyterian Church in Mizoram. In tracing the history of the 'handful of rice,' this article explores how the project began, and how it developed over the years to play an important role in financing the church and generating hundreds of female theologians and missionaries. However, despite their contribution, women are still denied ordination as Pastors or Elders and the church's definition of women's gendered roles prevents it from accepting women as equals within the church.
The British philanthropist Robert Arthington (1823-64) left a fortune that funded the evangelical... more The British philanthropist Robert Arthington (1823-64) left a fortune that funded the evangelical work of the Baptist Missionary Society and the London Missionary Society. It was Arthington’s bequest that led to missionary work among the Mizo people in 1901. During the British colonial period, which ended in 1947, Welsh Christian and Baptist missionaries evangelized among the Mizo people. Today almost 90 percent of Mizos belong to the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist church, or to one of the many indigenous Christian churches. It is impossible to comment on the contemporary position of Mizoram Presbyterian Church women without first reflecting on their indigenous activities and status. Past representations of Bible women and the challenges they encountered for the mission work under the strict rules of chieftains paint them as nothing more than the appendages of men. These representations, I believe, are distortions of their actual roles and positions. This case study challenges the notion that the key to empowerment is women’s economic status. In this case, patriarchies– Western patriarchy combined with indigenous Mizo patriarchy – collaborated in according women a secondary status in the new religion
Drafts by mary thanpuii
Liberal feminism argues that the basic condition of democratic institutions is the inclusion of w... more Liberal feminism argues that the basic condition of democratic institutions is the inclusion of women in electoral politics. It has been assumed that countries with increased female participation in politics will develop policies that are more egalitarian and expand development. What this theoretical formulation misses is the many challenges women face when it comes to exercising their political rights. Although women may have the right to participate in the political process, cultural, social, and economic conditions create barriers to their exercise of these rights. Since the general election of 1972 to 2018, there have been 13 general elections. The number of registered female voters has been significant and outnumbered the number of male registered voters in eight general elections but few women have become members of the legislature and the state of Mizoram has done little to advance women's right to property and political rights. Clearly women's numbers as registered voters has not translated into political power or influence. My research, archival and interview-based, included interviews with former female legislators and 70 local residents of Seling village and Reiek village to understand the main obstacles to women's political participation.
Edited Books and Special Issues by mary thanpuii
Christianity in India Vol 1, 2019
Christianity in India, Vol 2, 2019
straddles between two fields, music and academia. She is a sitarist trained in North Indian Class... more straddles between two fields, music and academia. She is a sitarist trained in North Indian Classical music and graduated in 2013 with a PhD in Cultural Studies. Sharda's musical work comprises primarily fusion of the various genres of music in the Caribbean with North Indian classical music. Her position as a musical practitioner and performing artiste is one that provides her with intimate knowledge of the working of the musical landscape of Trinidad, where her father Mungal Patasar set the stage for musical collaborations with his pioneering work in fusion music that encapsulates the Trinidadian experience. Her academic writing and journalism are influenced by this heritage and her personal experience as an Indo-Trinidadian/Caribbean artiste. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharda-patasar-66a84724/ Reshma Chhibba Reshma Chhiba is a visual artist and dancer based in Johannesburg. She holds a BAFA (2005) and an MAFA (2013), from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a diploma in Bharatanatyam (2002) from the Institute of Indian Art and Culture (South Africa). She currently serves as Exhibitions Coordinator at The Point of Order, an experimental exhibition space run by the Division of Visual Arts, Wits University. Chhibba was joint winner of the Wits School of Arts Martienssen Prize in 2003. In 2007 she was selected by the Goethe Institut to work as an art mediator at Documenta 12, in Kassel, Germany. She has participated in numerous group shows and her solo exhibitions include Kali-Art Extra (2008) and The Two Talking Yonis-Constitution Hill Women's Jail, Kalashnikovv Gallery and Room Gallery (2013), in which she collaborated with curator Nontobeko Ntombela.
PeacePrint, 2021
The Mizoram Accord of 1986 carried the promise that 'the rights and privileges of the minorities ... more The Mizoram Accord of 1986 carried the promise that 'the rights and privileges of the minorities in Mizoram as envisaged in the Constitution shall continue to be preserved and protected, and their social and economic advancement shall be ensured'. These observations, reflecting the signing of the "Mizoram Accord" or "Memorandum of Settlement" between the Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Government of India on 30 June 1986 were expected to set in motion an inclusive process of socioeconomic development for all, including women after years of insurgency. This paper focuses on women who experienced the Mizo insurgency from 1966 to 1986, and addresses specific and largely unexamined aspects of the suffering experienced by them under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. The story of the insurgency in Mizoram is not well known, the story of how women were affected is largely absent from history. Utilizing women's oral testimonies, the paper investigates the impact of insurgency on women and the extent to which the Accord's promises have affected their lives and livelihood.
[
Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 2021
Using the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl [MHIP] or Mizo Women's Organization as a case study, thi... more Using the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl [MHIP] or Mizo Women's Organization as a case study, this paper explores whether women's participation in informal politics leads to women's empowerment. Since the birth of the MHIP in 1972, the organization adopted various strategies, to try to improve the status for women in society. The MHIP has also tried to modify different Mizo Customary laws that disadvantage women in marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Beginning in 1980, they submitted several recommendations to the government. Focusing on the economic, social, and political development of women, the MHIP declared each year as 'Women's year' for the last 12 years (1997-2011). Although the MHIP has addressed the social and economic status of women, worked to improve women's status in the public sphere, and sought changes in Mizo Customary law, they have not challenged basic definitions of women's roles and the gendered division of work attached to these roles. This article adopts qualitative approach to understand the various strategies adopted by MHIP to improve women's status, it attempts to explore the issues MHIP addressed as well as their conception of women's essential nature and proper role in society. Data were collected over a period of six month during January 2019 to June 2019, from the record of MHIP General Assembly minute book from 2009-2015. My observation is that the MHIP's efforts to improve the status of women without challenging the gendered division of labour and access to resources is unlikely to lead to empowerment for women
Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Foundation, 2019
women's action in t he m i zo n at ion al f ro nt m o vem en t 1 9 66-1 98 7 mary vanlalthanpuii
Yonsei Journal of International Studies, 2019
Nidān: International Journal for Indian Studies, 2019
Volume of a special issue of Christianity in India
Church history in Mizoram omits women and pays little attention to the role played by Mizos in th... more Church history in Mizoram omits women and pays little attention to the role played by Mizos in their own conversion. This paper seeks to restore the role of women in the church, while focusing on their financial contribution to building the early Presbyterian Church in Mizoram. In tracing the history of the 'handful of rice,' this article explores how the project began, and how it developed over the years to play an important role in financing the church and generating hundreds of female theologians and missionaries. However, despite their contribution, women are still denied ordination as Pastors or Elders and the church's definition of women's gendered roles prevents it from accepting women as equals within the church.
The British philanthropist Robert Arthington (1823-64) left a fortune that funded the evangelical... more The British philanthropist Robert Arthington (1823-64) left a fortune that funded the evangelical work of the Baptist Missionary Society and the London Missionary Society. It was Arthington’s bequest that led to missionary work among the Mizo people in 1901. During the British colonial period, which ended in 1947, Welsh Christian and Baptist missionaries evangelized among the Mizo people. Today almost 90 percent of Mizos belong to the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist church, or to one of the many indigenous Christian churches. It is impossible to comment on the contemporary position of Mizoram Presbyterian Church women without first reflecting on their indigenous activities and status. Past representations of Bible women and the challenges they encountered for the mission work under the strict rules of chieftains paint them as nothing more than the appendages of men. These representations, I believe, are distortions of their actual roles and positions. This case study challenges the notion that the key to empowerment is women’s economic status. In this case, patriarchies– Western patriarchy combined with indigenous Mizo patriarchy – collaborated in according women a secondary status in the new religion
Liberal feminism argues that the basic condition of democratic institutions is the inclusion of w... more Liberal feminism argues that the basic condition of democratic institutions is the inclusion of women in electoral politics. It has been assumed that countries with increased female participation in politics will develop policies that are more egalitarian and expand development. What this theoretical formulation misses is the many challenges women face when it comes to exercising their political rights. Although women may have the right to participate in the political process, cultural, social, and economic conditions create barriers to their exercise of these rights. Since the general election of 1972 to 2018, there have been 13 general elections. The number of registered female voters has been significant and outnumbered the number of male registered voters in eight general elections but few women have become members of the legislature and the state of Mizoram has done little to advance women's right to property and political rights. Clearly women's numbers as registered voters has not translated into political power or influence. My research, archival and interview-based, included interviews with former female legislators and 70 local residents of Seling village and Reiek village to understand the main obstacles to women's political participation.
Christianity in India Vol 1, 2019
Christianity in India, Vol 2, 2019