Gender, Caste and Civil Society Women's Movement in Bihar, 1974-2006

Systematic research on the role and participation of women into various developmental movements has recently gathered momentum and attention of the academia due to emerging needs and developmental focus on women to include womens' collective experience into policies. The need to understand the impact of collectivism, hitherto unknown for its potential, has forced to ponder over women's activism in the state of Bihar during 1974 to 2006. Women activism was seen in the state of Bihar in the 1970s as a part of the Total Revolution movement of Jai Prakash Narayan. After the passage of almost three decades, we find that there is a wide gap in women's activism. Being one of the most backward states of the Indian Union, Bihar requires activism in various areas for its progress and development. Women activism can be one such movement which can help in achieving this objective. In this study, the concern has been to analyze the entire course of such activism in Bihar from 1974-2006. The objectives of such movements and its impact on the region have been analyzed in this study. The findings of the study can contribute towards bridging the gap in the process of women's activism in Bihar.