Women's Empowerment is a rigorous interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and transnational discipline rooted in feminism and shaped by the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences, as well as movements for social justice. It places women's lives at the core of its significance, examining the experience of women through the lens of gender, and attending to ways gender intersects with other social categories such as race, class, nationality/ethnicity and sexuality.

Research

Research in the Department ranges from critiques and reconstruction of theory to developing new framework for identification and analysis of information, both quantitative and qualitative. Scholars engaged in these programmes offer new interpretation of the diverse traditions and ideologies in the backdrop of socio-economic constructs of gender identity. Studies conducted during 2005-06 by the faculty and students have been tuned to action, advocacy or policy development and appraisal, which are commissioned by the Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations, in the forms of evaluation of programmes, special surveys, all-India co-ordinated projects, etc.

Research

In the Department ranges from critiques and reconstruction of theory to developing new framework for identification and analysis of information, both quantitative and qualitative. Scholars engaged in these programmes offer new interpretation of the diverse traditions and ideologies in the backdrop of socio-economic constructs of gender identity.

Advocacy and Campaign

The major focus of activities at the Department is on communicating insights on building linkages to promote empowering of women-folk belonging to different groups and communities. Against this background, the placing of women's issues on the national development agenda is the requirement. The Advocacy programmes of the Department include social action and community development activities like consciousness raising, sensitizing people on women's rights, capacity building, counselling, legal literacy, HIV/AIDS, etc. through out-reach programmes. The ongoing Advocacy work of the Institute in the dalit and tribal areas gets further augmented with the Gender component-focused activities of the Department.

Social Action and Extension

Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas
The Project of DWCRA during the 80's aimed at bringing women under different viable economic activities and thus strengthening their organisations and transferring some economic power to them. The district of Dhenkanal was adopted by NISWASS for the programme. NISWASS was assigned the trainer's role and provided research data for the programme implementation apart from periodic monitoring of the programme.