Learning the Art of Being a Woman

This book attempts a mix of methods to uncover Muslim girl students’ lives at a Muslim Girls School (MGS) in Daryaganj, a crowded area of urban Delhi, mediated by education, family and religion. It is a welcome addition to the field of educational studies as research on the lived experience of schoolgoing children, especially girls, taking into account the role of the family, community and religious discourse, as well as the daily routine of school interactions, remains understudied and largely unknown. While the big picture of educational policy, financial outlays, and other structural features of inequality and difference that affect schoolgoing children is no doubt hugely important, understanding the experience of children and young adults in the context of schools is of equal significnce. It is only when we hear their voices that we can hope to understand what the complex relationship between school, state and society does to their life experience.

Sociopolitical Ethos