Fostering Sisterhood: Muslim Women and the All-India Ladies' Association

This article focuses on the activities of the All-India Ladies' Association. Founded in 1918 at the instigation of an elite group of primarily Muslim women in the princely state of Bhopal in central India, it represents one of the earliest efforts to introduce ideas of women's autonomy across geographic or sectarian boundaries to the movement for women's rights in India. It also signifies the consolidation of colonial and indigenous models of reform with regard to education, child marriage, health, and other social issues. A controversial debate on purdah (seclusion) also provides insight into the role of intermediaries in bridging ideological gaps between generations. Overall, this study suggests that Muslim identity was central to these women's conceptions of themselves, but it was not monolithic, nor was it exclusive. Rather, it informed and was informed by a range of other identities, including gender, in a dynamic process of interaction.