Perspectives for a Grassroots Feminist Theory

While the influence of western social theory has been palpable in the way social sciences, including women's studies, have been conceptualised and taught in India, it has also provoked a justifiably defensive reaction in certain instances. Theories and paradigms from the west may prove completely alienated from actual experiences of women at the grassroots. This criticism has often taken on an anti-west culture bashing, a growing tendency to question the 'Indian-ness' of the women's movement here or has led to ineffectual attempts to develop an alternative perspective based wholly on indigenous categories of thought. This paper is an attempt to analyse the presuppositions that define the need for a 'grassroots feminist theory'.