Annual Professor Pradeep Kumar Memorial Lecture in Panjab University

Chandigarh, March 2, 2023: Department of Political Science organized the annual Professor Pradeep Kumar Memorial Lecture in Panjab University. Professor Rekha Saxena of Delhi University delivered a lecture on ‘intersection of Gender and Federalism: Emerging Concerns’. Her presentation explored in an overarching manner the intersection of gender and federalism. Presenting a broader overview of the different facets of federalism, such as intergovernmental relations, asymmetrical relations and multilevel federalism, she dwelt on how they have had diverse impacts on the way women’s organisations engage with the state. There are several advantages of multilevel federal structure: it offers forum-shopping opportunities for women’s organisations; it also affords opportunities for policy innovation and experimentation. Professor Saxena argued that feminist scholars by and large have overlooked the impact of federal structure on women’s politics, which is an ignored topic in the huge scholarship on federalism. Correspondingly, the academic discussion on asymmetrical federalism has till now overlooked the weight of this on women’s politics. Furthermore, while fortified intergovernmental relations are essential for the smooth functioning of collaborative federalism, it can have adverse costs for women’s politics, as intergovernmental decision-making generally takes place behind closed doors and therefore might not be reachable for women’s organisations.
 
The lecture of Professor Saxena was significant in the sense that it embodied an endeavour at gendering the discourse on federalism. It ascertained certain propensities as to the influence of federalism on women’s politics, and suggested the manner in which the women’s organizations tend to negotiate and mediate the meshwork of the multilevel federal structure.
 
      
The lecture was very well attended by the faculty of social sciences, education and the students and researchers.