Kumari Jayawardena
Encyclopedia
Kumari Jayawardena is a leading feminist figure and academic in Sri Lanka
. Her work is part of the canon of third-world feminism which conceptualizes feminist philosophies that are indigenous and unique to non-Western societies and nations rather than mere off-shoots of Western feminism.
Jayawardena is the author of several books, including Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World
, for which she was selected for the Feminist Fortnight award in Britain in 1986 and was cited by Ms. Magazine
in 1992 as writing one of the "20 most important books of the feminist decades" (1970–1990). This text is widely used in Women's Studies
programs around the world.
In Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World, Jayawardena reconstructs the history of women's rights
movements in Asia and the Middle East
from the 19th century to the 1980s, focusing on Egypt
, Turkey
, Iran
, India
, Sri Lanka
, China
, Indonesia
, Vietnam
, Japan
, Korea
and the Philippines
. Her research states that feminism was not a foreign ideology imposed on Third World
countries, but instead, developed on its own in Asia
and the Middle East as women struggled for equal rights and against the subordination of women in the home and in society in general.
and later decided to enter the London School of Economics
in 1952. She graduated with a degree in political science in 1955 and then qualified as a barrister from Lincoln's Inn, London in 1958. She also obtained the Certificat d'Etudes Politiques from Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris in Paris
(best known as Sciences Po) in 1956. In 1964 she received a Ph.D.
for a thesis on the labour movement in Ceylon, from the London School of Economics.
Jayawardena taught Political Science
at the University of Colombo
in Sri Lanka from 1969 to 1985, when she retired as Associate Professor. She also taught in the Women and Development Masters Course at the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, Netherlands
from 1980 to 1982, and was an Affiliated Fellow of the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College
from 1987 to 1988. She currently teaches in the Masters Programme in Women's Studies at the Colombo University and is a Senior Fellow of the university's Graduate Studies Institute.
Jayawardena's books and articles have been translated into Sinhala and Tamil
. She plays an active role in women's research organizations and civil rights
movements in Sri Lanka, and is presently the Secretary of the Social Scientists' Association, a group of concerned scholars working on ethnic, gender
, caste
and other issues.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Her work is part of the canon of third-world feminism which conceptualizes feminist philosophies that are indigenous and unique to non-Western societies and nations rather than mere off-shoots of Western feminism.
Jayawardena is the author of several books, including Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World
Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World
Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World written by Kumari Jayawardena is widely used in women's studies programs around the world and is considered a key text of third-world feminism....
, for which she was selected for the Feminist Fortnight award in Britain in 1986 and was cited by Ms. Magazine
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
in 1992 as writing one of the "20 most important books of the feminist decades" (1970–1990). This text is widely used in Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
programs around the world.
In Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World, Jayawardena reconstructs the history of women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
movements in Asia and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
from the 19th century to the 1980s, focusing on Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Her research states that feminism was not a foreign ideology imposed on Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
countries, but instead, developed on its own in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Middle East as women struggled for equal rights and against the subordination of women in the home and in society in general.
Academic background
Jayawardena was born and had her secondary education in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and later decided to enter the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1952. She graduated with a degree in political science in 1955 and then qualified as a barrister from Lincoln's Inn, London in 1958. She also obtained the Certificat d'Etudes Politiques from Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(best known as Sciences Po) in 1956. In 1964 she received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
for a thesis on the labour movement in Ceylon, from the London School of Economics.
Jayawardena taught Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
in Sri Lanka from 1969 to 1985, when she retired as Associate Professor. She also taught in the Women and Development Masters Course at the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
from 1980 to 1982, and was an Affiliated Fellow of the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
from 1987 to 1988. She currently teaches in the Masters Programme in Women's Studies at the Colombo University and is a Senior Fellow of the university's Graduate Studies Institute.
Jayawardena's books and articles have been translated into Sinhala and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. She plays an active role in women's research organizations and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
movements in Sri Lanka, and is presently the Secretary of the Social Scientists' Association, a group of concerned scholars working on ethnic, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
and other issues.
See also
- FeminismFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
- Feminism and Nationalism in the Third WorldFeminism and Nationalism in the Third WorldFeminism and Nationalism in the Third World written by Kumari Jayawardena is widely used in women's studies programs around the world and is considered a key text of third-world feminism....
- Sunila AbeysekeraSunila AbeysekeraSunila Abeysekera is an award winning human rights campaigner. She was born in 1952 in Sri Lanka and has worked on women's rights and human rights issues in Sri Lanka and in the South Asia region for over 20 years as an activist and scholar. In 1994 she received an M.A...
- Malathi de AlwisMalathi de AlwisMalathi de Alwis is a feminist scholar and activist at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka. She also teaches in the MA Program in Women's Studies at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo and was Visiting Associate Professor of Anthropology at the...