Gendered subjects, the state and participatory spaces: the politics of domesticating participation in rural India

Abstract

This chapter examines the presence and absence of women in three institutionalized spaces created by the state to promote development and democracy: sectoral institutions of health and watershed development, and the constitutionally mandated institutions of local government called panchayats. It traces the practices and dynamics, representation, inclusion and voice within these spaces in three villages in the state of Rajasthan