April 2011 Workshop

The second meeting of the CITIGEN research network took place on 26-28 April 2011, in the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (New Delhi, India). 

The objectives of the workshop were:

  • Review and reflect upon the emerging insights from each research project in relation to the questions and core concepts of the programme

  • Build a big picture that speaks to the theoretical imperatives of the programme as a whole

  • Anchored in emergent theoretical formulations of the programme, explore the elements of a 'Southern' discourse on women's citizenship in the information society and implications of the same for practice and policy at national and global levels.

The workshop aimed at facilitating the articulation of emerging concepts and tentative theories from the ongoing work in the CITIGEN network and channel these into a debate on the larger questions of democratic structures and institutions, and their shifting meanings for marginalised women's participation in the information society, as equal citizens. In order to expand and deepen the debates and discussions, a few scholars working on feminist frameworks from a Southern perspective, and who are potential contributors to the network's research, were invited to comment and present their perspectives on the project's ongoing work.

Read the workshop report !

Check the interviews of the network partners !

Background note

Agenda

Suggested readings for the workshop

Workshop report

Executive summary

SESSION I: Stories of Change – What is emerging from the CITIGEN research. Presentations by the CITIGEN research teams (Bangladesh, China, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong/Taiwan)

SESSION II: Women's citizenship in the information society – Mapping the contemporary context

  • Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change and Coordinator, CITIGEN programme, India
  • Hania Sholkamy, Associate Professor, American University in Cairo, Egypt
  • Mary John, Director, Centre for Women's Development Studies, New Delhi, India

SESSION III: Democracy and women's participation – ICT-mediated processes for making institutions work for women

  • Ananya Raihan, Executive Director, Development Research Network (D.Net), Bangladesh
  • Zohra Chatterji, Member Secretary, National Commission for Women, India
  • Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Director, Centre for Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines, Philippines
  • Jahnvi Andharia, Senior Programme Officer, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, India

SESSION IV: Feminist spaces in the network society – Engendering resistance

  • Aarti Kawlra, Associate Faculty and Project Consultant, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India and J. Devika, Associate Professor, Centre for Development Studies, India
  • Lam Oi Wan, Global Voices Online and Hong Kong In-Media, China
  • Supinya Klangnarong, Think piece author, CITIGEN and vice-chair of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform, Thailand
  • Kalyani Menon Sen, Researcher, writer and feminist activist, India
  • Manjima Bhattacharya, Member, Jagori, India

SESSION V: What we seem to be hearing since yesterday

SESSION VI: Forging community and creating identity – New articulations of citizenship in the information society

  • Chandrika Sepali Kottegoda, Director, Women and Media Collective, Sri Lanka
  • Kate Lappin, Regional Coordinator, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Thailand
  • Desiree Lewis, Associate Professor, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

SESSION VII: Issues at stake – The nature of participation in virtual reality / real virtuality

  • Evangelia Berdou, Research Fellow, University of Sussex, UK
  • Heike Jensen, Think piece author, CITIGEN, and Independent gender researcher and consultant, Germany
  • Lisa McLaughlin, Advisor, CITIGEN, and Associate Professor, Miami University, USA

SESSION VIII – What can we make of what we have heard for practice and policy - Going back to CITIGEN's research questions

SESSION IX - Group work – Tying together emerging reflections and insights

SESSION X: Next steps, issues and closing remarks

Hania Sholkamy

Desiree Lewis

Kalyani Menon Sen