A discussion between Dr. Nida Kirmani, Dr.Parul Bhandari & Dr.Virginie Dutoya
on, Interrogating gender equality in India moderated by Prof. Mary E. John

Religion, Gender And The Navigation Of Urban Space: Voices From Zakir Nagar
Dr. Nida Kirmani
Following up on research conducted in 2004-2005 in the Muslim-majority neighbourhood of Zakir Nagar in Delhi, this paper will discuss the ways in which women narrate multiple and conflicting senses of insecurity in the city depending on their social position. It will highlight the ways in which multiple identities, including religious identity, age, class, and regional affiliation, intersect in order to determine one's experience of mobility in the city. The paper will also explore how particular events including the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case and the 2014 Uber rape case and the coming to power of Modi's BJP government in 2014 have impacted upon women's senses of insecurity in the city.

A Suitable Girl? Gender Asymmetries in Matchmaking'
Dr. Parul Bhandari
Contemporary India's upper middle class social world is abounding with the rhetoric of 'compatibility' and 'interpersonal connection' in relationships- pre-marital and marital. Such a discourse posits a trend towards gender equality in forming of a conjugal bond. My paper queries such a projection and understanding of gender relations. Arguing that a strong norm of gender asymmetry continues to shape matchmaking amongst the upper middle class, I examine the expectations of gender roles and the gender practices undertaken by men and women, to construct an ideal of a 'good match'. I reveal these by discussing the characteristics of a 'suitable boy' and a 'suitable girl', and the ways in which these are received (practiced or criticised) by the young men and women themselves.

Debating Women's Political Representation in India: From 'Colonial Protection' to 'Empowerment'
Dr. Virginie Dutoya
The debates over women's political representation started 100 years ago in India, in the context of colonial politics. While the terms of the debate have evolved since, women's political representation is still a major public issue in India and it is impossible to understand the controversy over the Women's Reservation Bill (introduced in the Indian Parliament in 1996) without paying attention to this history. By relocating contemporary debates in their socio-historical context, the objective of this presentation is to show the specific role played by women's rights in the definition of "political modernity" in India.

Prof.Mary E. John
Mary E. John is Senior Fellow and ex-Director of the Centre for Women's development Studies, New Delhi, India. Her areas of specialisation are in feminist theory and contemporary politics. She has written widely on these themes. She is also a co-editor of the volume Enjeux contemporains du feminisme indien (Paris: Maison de Sciences de l'Homme, 2002).