| Author | Bruhn, Andrea |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-01-10 |
| Subject(s) | Sex role--India
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development
|
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. GD-01-10 |
| Abstract | This feminist ethnographic and historical study analyzes how gender relations are reproduced,
produced and transformed in the context of a refugee population and through its interaction
with the majority population of the receiving country. In this context, the interaction of
internal and external structures and women's agency that enable and undermine change are
identified and discussed.
The specific refugee context of Tibetans who sought refuge in India after China occupied their
country in 1959 was taken up. They are now a well-established community in India with
succeeding generations. There is considerable change in gender relations to the advantage of
women. In Tibet, the female agents strategically acquiesced in their restricted space in the
domestic sphere - their role as legitimized by Buddhism that describes a male-created and
women-constraining structure.
After the arrival in exile, traditional gender relations were renegotiated. Because men lost
access to structural resources, they could assert less power over women. Thus, in comparison
to independent Tibet, gender relations became more equal. With the establishment of the
Tibetan settlements, a reproduction of gender relations was anticipated. However, the Tibetan
education system - with the two-fold means of preserving traditional culture and providing
modern Indian education - acted as the main enabling structural resource to renegotiate gender
relations to the advantage of women. At present, women are - seemingly unnoticed - overrepresented on higher educational levels. The continuous change set the parameters for
increasing employment opportunities for women and their ability to take over jobs that were
formerly dominated by men. However, as gender relations are subject to constant negotiation,
men will anticipate reasserting their power in the future. |
| Year | 2001 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. GD-01-10 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Resurreccion, Bernadette P.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Kusakabe, Kyoko;Zimmermann, Willi; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | European Commission ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2001 |