Susanne Bygnes Livres

The book examines the portrayal of Kerala, India, as a model of social development, particularly highlighting women's achievements in education and health. It challenges the notion of Kerala as a success story for women's emancipation, presenting critical feminist perspectives that question the true impact of modern emancipation. The author argues that the critiques from Kerala's feminists can offer valuable insights when reassessing gender equality issues in Scandinavia, encouraging a broader dialogue on women's rights and societal progress.

The population in Kerala, India is frequently displayed as more literate, more educated, healthier and less poverty struck than those of other Indian states. Women's high development scores are particularly often brought to the forefront when general information about Kerala is distributed. Kerala thus, might seem like a perfect display of social development, a success story for women's emancipation in an 'underdeveloped' part of the world. This book explores critical feminist voices questioning the results of modern emancipation and suggests the critique launched by feminists in Kerala to be relevant when re-examining gender equality in Scandinavia.