The pressure held and the attacks on Nivedita have finally subsided. My exhaustion is heavy but I am grateful we refused to be silent. We must stay alert because the work to protect free inquiry remains unfinished.
April 18, 2016
Final supporters
The women’s movements and the feminist voices in India are part of the tradition of the movements that believe in pluralism in thought, action and manner of organizing. There are as many individuals and small collectives that enrich the voices within the women’s movements, as there are larger groups and even party affiliated groups. It has also the rich tradition of the academic and the activist informing each other and learning from each other.
As a serious academic and an activist, Nivedita Menon is an important voice in this plural, multifarious, diverse, political conglomeration that we call the feminist women’s movements. Her engagement with diverse issues like feminist theory, law, sexuality, technology, understanding of the body, queer theory, has helped deepen the understanding in these areas and also find new ways of campaigning on specific issues like the sex determination tests, personal laws, decriminalization of homosexuality, to name just a few. Her prolific writing and impassioned talks have made many of us, old and young, academic and otherwise, debate and discuss issues. Her commitment to academic discourse is thus not confined to the University campus alone but has extended to many spaces occupied by campaigns and activists.
As fellow travelers in these movements, we stand by Nivedita in claiming the space within the University campus to freedom of speech and debate and discussion. We find the attacks being carried out on Nivedita Menon by certain political groups through student bodies like the ABVP, who are filing baseless complaints with the police, and the media like Zee News, who are maligning her with footage shown out of context, as an attack on reasoned debate and informed conversation, both of which are inimical to democracy. Without a space for these, we do not think that the principles of equality, justice, and non-discrimination granted to us through the Indian Constitution can ever be realized.
We unequivocally condemn these attacks and this harassment of a fellow feminist activist and stand in solidarity with her.
Dr. Chayanika Shah, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
Dr. Mary John, CWDS, Delhi
Vani Subramanian, Saheli, Delhi
Dr. Meena Gopal, TISS, Mumbai
Shals Mahajan, LABIA - A Queer Feminist LBT Collective, Mumbai
Dr. Anjali Monteiro, TISS, Mumbai
Dr. Shilpa Phadke, TISS, Mumbai
Dr.K P Jayashankar, TISS, Mumbai
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
March 14, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
March 14, 2016
March 13, 2016
The pressure is mounting and the pushback is real but we are getting closer to our initial goal. Keep pushing this forward because our persistence is the only thing keeping this conversation alive right now.
March 12, 2016
The fatigue is setting in but we have to push past this plateau to reach 500 names. Please pass this link along to someone who values academic freedom because we need this momentum to remain visible.
242 Comments
I stand in absolute solidarity with Nivedita Menon. She has been a living embodiment of the values of feminism, democratic thought and peaceful activism for a more equal world for many of us. Any persecution of her is an attack on all of us who stand for these principles.
It isn't an exaggeration to say that Nivedita Menon's work changed my life, the way I think about myself and my relationship with the world I live in. She is a woman who speaks her mind, and empowers others to do the same. This attempted defamation is a new low, even for our news media thugs.
Nivedita Menon's works and articles have been an inspiration for most students especially from Women's Studies. I have been a fan of her works from the field of Political Science to Women's Studies. I stand with her till the end.
Vilification of Nivedita Menon by ABVP and Zee News is highly condemnable. The baseless complaints to the police made by then should be withdrawn immediately. I stand in solidarity with her.
We from Anweshi support Nivedita Menon in her claim to freedom of speech and debate and dicussion in university campuses, which has been attacked recently by Sangh Parivar outfits.
We stand/sit/sleep/sing against patriarchy!!
I support Nivedita Menon
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Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
The pressure held and the attacks on Nivedita have finally subsided. My exhaustion is heavy but I am grateful we refused to be silent. We must stay alert because the work to protect free inquiry remains unfinished.
April 18, 2016
Final supporters
The women’s movements and the feminist voices in India are part of the tradition of the movements that believe in pluralism in thought, action and manner of organizing. There are as many individuals and small collectives that enrich the voices within the women’s movements, as there are larger groups and even party affiliated groups. It has also the rich tradition of the academic and the activist informing each other and learning from each other.
As a serious academic and an activist, Nivedita Menon is an important voice in this plural, multifarious, diverse, political conglomeration that we call the feminist women’s movements. Her engagement with diverse issues like feminist theory, law, sexuality, technology, understanding of the body, queer theory, has helped deepen the understanding in these areas and also find new ways of campaigning on specific issues like the sex determination tests, personal laws, decriminalization of homosexuality, to name just a few. Her prolific writing and impassioned talks have made many of us, old and young, academic and otherwise, debate and discuss issues. Her commitment to academic discourse is thus not confined to the University campus alone but has extended to many spaces occupied by campaigns and activists.
As fellow travelers in these movements, we stand by Nivedita in claiming the space within the University campus to freedom of speech and debate and discussion. We find the attacks being carried out on Nivedita Menon by certain political groups through student bodies like the ABVP, who are filing baseless complaints with the police, and the media like Zee News, who are maligning her with footage shown out of context, as an attack on reasoned debate and informed conversation, both of which are inimical to democracy. Without a space for these, we do not think that the principles of equality, justice, and non-discrimination granted to us through the Indian Constitution can ever be realized.
We unequivocally condemn these attacks and this harassment of a fellow feminist activist and stand in solidarity with her.
Dr. Chayanika Shah, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
Dr. Mary John, CWDS, Delhi
Vani Subramanian, Saheli, Delhi
Dr. Meena Gopal, TISS, Mumbai
Shals Mahajan, LABIA - A Queer Feminist LBT Collective, Mumbai
Dr. Anjali Monteiro, TISS, Mumbai
Dr. Shilpa Phadke, TISS, Mumbai
Dr.K P Jayashankar, TISS, Mumbai
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
March 14, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
March 14, 2016
March 13, 2016
The pressure is mounting and the pushback is real but we are getting closer to our initial goal. Keep pushing this forward because our persistence is the only thing keeping this conversation alive right now.
March 12, 2016
The fatigue is setting in but we have to push past this plateau to reach 500 names. Please pass this link along to someone who values academic freedom because we need this momentum to remain visible.
242 Comments
menon's work has been important for feminist scholars of all kinds. It has touched American students of mine who went on to be inspired by her work. Such scholars should be respected and revered, not reviled.
I stand in absolute solidarity with Nivedita Menon. She has been a living embodiment of the values of feminism, democratic thought and peaceful activism for a more equal world for many of us. Any persecution of her is an attack on all of us who stand for these principles.
It isn't an exaggeration to say that Nivedita Menon's work changed my life, the way I think about myself and my relationship with the world I live in. She is a woman who speaks her mind, and empowers others to do the same. This attempted defamation is a new low, even for our news media thugs.
Nivedita Menon's works and articles have been an inspiration for most students especially from Women's Studies. I have been a fan of her works from the field of Political Science to Women's Studies. I stand with her till the end.
Vilification of Nivedita Menon by ABVP and Zee News is highly condemnable. The baseless complaints to the police made by then should be withdrawn immediately. I stand in solidarity with her.
We from Anweshi support Nivedita Menon in her claim to freedom of speech and debate and dicussion in university campuses, which has been attacked recently by Sangh Parivar outfits.
We stand/sit/sleep/sing against patriarchy!!
I support Nivedita Menon
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menon's work has been important for feminist scholars of all kinds. It has touched American students of mine who went on to be inspired by her work. Such scholars should be respected and revered, not reviled.