Allahabad University: Centre for Women's Studies

From the Times of India:

A new Centre for Women's Studies (CWS) has started functioning at the Allahabad University. AU was recently selected by the University Grants Commission for opening the centre which would impart short and long term courses in gender related issues.

The centre, which is functional in various universities in the country, was first started in 1986. Today, there 57 such centres in universities all over the country, informed Prof Sumita Parmar, director, AU CWS. She said the primary function of the centre would be to introduce gender perspectives in as many domains of knowledge as possible in order to empower women. It would also make them more visible and acknowledge their contribution to the society.

Moreover, it also help in documentation and the generation of resource material. Studies related to women are an emerging discipline and was initially conceptualised as a branch of social sciences and humanities, she said. It also engages with other disciplines and professions such as life sciences, biosciences and other areas of science and technology such as agriculture and forestry, medicine and architecture as developments in these areas have a great bearing on the lives of women. Over the last 25 years, through teaching, research, analysis and field action the centre has gained in academic structure and developed a rich body of theories based on a complex and multilayered understanding of the realities of a woman's life.