 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 6: The Department of Sociology, University of Jammu in collaboration with Institute of J&K Affairs organized Balraj Puri Memorial Lecture 2018. The lecture was delivered by Kamla Bhasin, a social scientist and activist from New Delhi, working with Jagori and Sangat on the topic 'Feminism and its Relevance in South Asia'.
Prof Manoj Dhar, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, was the chief guest of the occasion.
The Vice Chancellor congratulated the Department and the Institute for organizing such a lecture on the campus. Prof Dhar said that it was his privilege that this is the first public event of his tenure as the new Vice Chancellor of the University. He expressed his admiration for Kamla Bhasin's work.
Prof Dhar said his own expertise in Life Sciences corroborates the fundamental tenet of feminist ideology that gender differences are not a product of biology but of socialization. There is nothing that distinguishes men and women biologically, but families and societies create these differences, he added.
Kamla Bhasin, in her speech, threw light on the conceptual understanding of Feminism and argued that patriarchy as an ideology exists in every institution of the social structure. She dwelled on various aspects of Feminism and spoke about removing the gender bias in order to bring in equality. She emphasized that a society built on gender equality would be healthier for everyone including men.
On patriarchy as a system that perpetuates male power, she argued that it is an ideology that exists in every institution of the society. It is in the interest of both men and women to eradicate patriarchy so that they can free themselves from the roles it imposes on them. |
