Teaching Feminism in the Periphery: Reflections and Prospects

Students often perceive gender and feminist studies as outside the scope of contemporary sociological theories. This article assesses the body of feminist scholarship while highlighting the realities faced by teachers and students in the classroom. It emphasises how gender permeates the classroom environment, potentially limiting students’ academic achievements and aspirations. Integrating feminism and gender theories into the curriculum can be challenging for students from tribal communities, who may encounter concepts like caste for the first time. However, discussions about stratification related to their experiences, such as being part of tribal or gender minority groups, are absent from the curriculum. Course materials, lacking these specificities, do not help students understand ‘differences’, especially in relation to Northeast India. This article addresses how feminism can be woven into the foundational curriculum and theories of sociology in a manner that resonates with all students, both theoretically and in their everyday.