Indian Women’s Uplift Movements and the Dangers of Cultural Imperialism

Because women encounter unique geographic, social, political, religious, economic, and temporal conditions, applying the particular agendas of traditional western feminism to countries like India can easily become a form of cultural imperialism or lead to Orientalism. Therefore, in this essay I argue that in order to support the agency of Indian women, western feminists must step back; Indian women and men who seek women\u27s uplift must claim post-patriarchal expressions of traditional Indian culture. Tradition does and should inform modern culture. However, Indian women\u27s uplift movements and western feminism alike must utilize both ancient and modern wisdom in our quest for social justice