Democratising the parliament : the quota debate in India

International Perspectives on Gender and Democratisation examines and addresses four broad themes. First is the participation of women in political movements; second, the importance of women's participation in processes of institutional - constitutional and legal - design; third, institutional practice at different levels - the national and the international; and finally, the need for constant vigilance in any engagement with state-initiated and dominated processes of democratisation. The contributors bring to it experiences of women's democratic struggles from different parts of the world - both North and South - to address the themes of the book. The emphasis is on the historical and political specificities of regions, movements and ideas and on the ways that women's movements assess their immediate and long-term interests. With its focus on women's struggles for a political presence in human rights, citizenship rights and democratic institutional entitlements to citizenship, this volume is an important contribution to the literature on gender and democratisation