Women and Peace : Chapters from Northeast India

Contents: Speech/S.D. Sidhu. Introduction/Anuradha Dutta. I. 1. Bodo women: peace makers within the ethnic paradigm/Abhijit Bhuyan. 2. Women in armed conflict: the Manipur experience/Babloo Loitongbam. 3. Legacy of the women\'s movement in Manipur/Bhabananda Takhellambam. 4. Role of students\' organisations in peace-building: understanding Manipur/Bobichand Meitei Rajkumar. 5. Muslim women of Manipur and peace-making: a transitional role from behind the veil to public space/Elizabeth Devi. 6. Armed conflict, state repression and women in Manipur: politics of the body in violence/Lokendra Arambam. 7. Manipuri women--powerful, empowered or marginalized?/N. Vijaylakshmi Brara. 8. Challenges before women\'s movement in Manipur/Pradip Phanjoubam. 9. Building peace: what difference do women make?/Rita Manchanda. 10. Role of women as peace builders with special reference to Nagaland/Triveni Goswami. II. Discussion: contribution of women to peace building: A. Workshop, Imphal : legacy of women\'s movement in Manipur: 1. History of social movement (Women\'s movement) in Manipur, peace, development and national security, political participation and women in Manipur/Dhanabir Laishram. 2. Peace and its definition/Pradip Phanjoubam. 3. Northeast policy and government of India/N. Vijayalakshmi Brara. 4. NSCN(IM) and Government of India, and negotiations and state/Babloo Loitongbam. Women\'s access to power: 1. Women, peace and state/K. Taruni. 2. Peace and empowerment of women, and peace and development/Esther Chanu. 3. The question of providing space to hill women groups in Manipur/N. Vijayalakshmi Brara. 4. Research on women from a multi-ethnic perspective/Lokendra Arambam. 5. Women power in Manipur in the light of state economy and politics/Bimola Devi. 6. Manipuri women, their strength and contribution/Subhra Hanjabam. 7. Empowerment of Muslim women in Manipur and their relation with the Meira Paibis/Sitara Begum. Women and media: 1. Women and media: my experience/Anjulika Oinam. 2. Women and media/Likla Leima. 3. Media\'s role and Meira Paibis/Pradip Phanjoubam. 4. Women and media/Sunita Devi. 5. Representation of women in media, change in the character of Manipuri women in the light of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and Irom Sharmila and Gandhi/Lokendra Arambam. 6. Women, media and reporting/Pradip Phanjoubam. Armed conflict, state repression and women: 1. Effects of armed conflict on women and children and role of the judiciary, and economy and conflict and conflict and women/Babloo Loitongbam. 2. Violence against women (VAW) and state force/Babloo Loitongbam. 3. Violence against women (VAW), guardians of law, and state force/L. Sadanada. 4. Women in trauma/Manoharmayum Ranjana. 5. State as a discourse, national security, strategic defence and sinister play by the state/Lokendra Arambam. 6. Killings by state and non-state actors: the justification/Babloo Loitongbam. Peace initiatives and women\'s organisation: 1. Rational behind the formation of the Meira Paibis and their activities/Bhabananda Takhellambam. 2. Role of tribal women in peace building in Manipur/Valley Rose. 3. Tribal women and peace initiative in Manipur with special reference to the Naga women/Grace Satsang. Role of students\' organisations in initiating peace in Manipur: 1. The role of students in peace initiative in Manipur/Rajkumar Bobichand. 2. Students\' organisation and peace--Participant. 3. The power of students\' movement and peace, minority protection and homogenizing/Pradip Phanjoubam. B. Workshop, Guwahati: 1. All Bodo women\'s welfare federation (ABWWF) and its role/Kanan Basumatary. 2. NEDAN foundation and its role/Digambar Narzary. 3. Tamulpur Gramdan Anchalik Sangh and its role/Rabindranath Upadhyay. 4. All mising women\'s front and its role/Moloryina Pegu. 5. Women\'s contribution toward peace building/Rita Manchanda. C. Workshop, Kokrajhar: 1. All Bodo women\'s welfare federation (ABWWF) and its role/Kanan Basumatary. 2. All tribal women\'s welfare federation (ATWWF) and its role: my experiences/Latika Hajowary. 3. All Bodo women\'s welfare federation (ABWWF) and its social side. 3. Bodo women\'s contribution to peace from 1975-1995/Mira Rani Brahma. 4. Bodo women and the movement for Bodoland. 5. From a village Belle to vice president of ABWWF: the journey/Sumati Wari. Index.

"Armed conflicts are never gender-neutral. The costs of conflict be it of any kind are borne disproportionately by women, children and youth as well. It is not that women do not have a place in the peace building process. But women\'s identity as victims circumscribes their roles in the peace building process. Though a few of these positive roles are told and shared, countless remain untold.

Peace studies has had a series of workshops at Guwahati and Bodoland territorial council area (BTAD) district in Assam, and Imphal in Manipur duly sponsored by the American Center, Kolkata and the Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi on the role and contribution of women to conflict and peace in the two states respectively. This volume is an attempt in putting together and bringing forth some known and unknown roles of the Manipuri and Bodo women adduced during the proceedings of the workshops.

As the volume as well carries first person accounts of the resource persons and participants in the workshops, in all, the book should make interesting and illuminating reading to all in peace, conflict and gender studies." (jacket)