WPA 2009

Those wishing to participate in the "Women in Politics in Asia"-Conference as an observer, please click here

International Conference

Women and Politics in Asia:
A Springboard for Democracy?

30.9.-2.10.2009, University of Hildesheim, Germany

The conference series “Women and Politics in Asia” started 2003 in Sweden, at Halmstad University, and was continued 2004 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and 2005 in Islamabad, Pakistan. In 2009, the fourth international conference of its kind will be convened by the Institute of Social Science at the University of Hildesheim, Germany.

Building upon “Women and Politics in Asia 2005: Discovering the Gender Face of Politics”, Women and Politics in Asia: A Springboard for Democracy? aims to reflect upon the links between

democracy and the feminisation of the halls of political power
gender and (power) politics
gender relations and gender ideologies and their impact on specific socio-political systems, modes of interaction / participation and citizenship discourses
gendered forms of political participation and agency

within Greater Asia in an integrated comparative perspective. This region of the world is interesting for students of democracy for a number of reasons: Many Asian countries have acceded to different forms of democratic government in the past few years while other countries belong to the group of fragile states, struggling with instable or autocratic governments, heterogeneous gender and identity politics and/or with internally contested democratisation/liberalisation and state-building projects resulting in distinctive gendered outcomes. The vast majority boast extremely diverse populations, which generates enormous challenges for the establishment of balanced political representation and participation; many countries have adopted affirmative action measures to increase the representation of women and ethnic groups in their parliaments; many countries have elected women to the highest positions of executive and legislative power; finally, many countries are confronted with national and international initiatives for gender mainstreaming, women machineries and progressive gender policy regimes as part of a good governance concept of ODA donor countries or lobbying from (trans)national women’s movements and non-governmental organizations throughout the region.

The following four themes will structure the parallel sessions to be held at WPA 2009:

Political Actors and Institutions
Public Policy
Political Theory and Citizenship Discourses
Feminist Movements

Conference Organizers:

Professor Dr. Claudia Derichs
Director of the Institute of Social Science, University of Hildesheim
Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu
Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Science, University of Hildesheim

Conference Programme

September 29th, 2009

Arrival of international participants

19.30 Official Dinner Reception by the Mayor of Hildesheim, Rathaus

September 30th, 2009

Arrival of international participants

from 12.00

Registration of conference participants and welcome lounge with opportunity for exchange and networking

16.00-18.30

Opening Session “Women in Politics in Asia: A Springboard for Democracy?”

Welcome address of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang-Uwe Friedrich, President of the University of Hildesheim
Welcome address of Julia Scherf, head of the Asia desk at Heinrich-Böll-Foundation
Welcome address of Prof. Dr. Claudia Derichs, Director of the Institute of Social Science of the University of Hildesheim
Keynotes from national expert:
- Dr. Christa Wichterich, writer and publicist: “Inside-Outside Dynamics: Women’s Movements, Governance and Political Participation”
Question & Answer Session
Presentation of conference program and organizational announcements
Opening of poster and photo expositions

Moderator: Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu

19.30

Dinner at Michaeliskloster (invited speakers)

October 1^st, 2009 (Parallel Sessions)

9.00-10.30	Parallel Sessions – Part 1 Political actors and institutions – Country panel China Women’s movements – Challenges of religion
10.30-11.00	Tea / Coffee break
11.00-12.30	Parallel Sessions – Part 2 Political actors and institutions – National politics Women’s movements – A transnational / international perspective
12.30	Lunch
14.00-15.30	Parallel Sessions – Part 3 Political actors and institutions – Local politics Political theory and citizenship discourses
15.30-16.00	Tea / Coffee Break
16.00-17.30	Parallel Sessions – Part 4 Political actors and institutions – A look at the Arab world Public policy – Gender mainstreaming
19.00	Dinner at Michaeliskloster (invited speakers)
20.30	Documentary Movie Session (Auditorium) “Bong Srey Sa-at – Beautiful Sister. A Caleidoscope of Contemporary Cambodian Women” by Nana Yuriko, 2009 (introduction by Julia Scherf, HBS)

October 2^nd, 2009 (Parallel Sessions and Closing Ceremony)

9.00-10.30	Parallel Sessions – Part 5 Women’s movements – Feminist agendas and campaigns Political theory and citizenship discourses – On democracy and democratization
10.45-11.10	Tea / Coffee break
11.15-13.00	Parallel Sessions – Part 6 Political actors and institutions – Quotas and campaigns Public policy – Personal status and protective laws
13.00	Lunch
14.00-15.30	Closing Ceremony “Women in Politics in Asia: A Springboard for Democracy?” Closing address by Dr. Waltraud Ernst, Director of the Centre of Interdisciplinary Women and Gender Studies, University of Hildesheim / University of Applied Sciences and Art HAWK/ University of Applied Sciences Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen Closing address by Prof. Dr. Claudia Derichs, Director of the Institute of Social Science, University of Hildesheim: “Women and Politics in Asia. Springboard or Surfboard for Democracy?” Conference Findings – a Résumé (Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu) Open Space for final questions, comments, announcement of networking initiatives or further conference activities Moderator: Prof. Dr. Claudia Derichs
16.00	Facultative sightseeing program (city tour UNESCO world heritage, registration required; walking tour)
20.00	Dinner for international participants at restaurant AKKU, Andreasplatz

Conference Secretariat:

University of Hildesheim

Institute of Social Science

Attn. Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu / Janina Hasse

Marienburger Platz 22, F313

D-31141 Hildesheim

Germany

Tel. office: +49-5121-883511

Fax: +49-5121-883501

Email: wpa_2009@yahoo.com

Important information for conference days:

All international participants will be lodged at the Michaeliskloster in Hildesheim until October 2^nd. Due to overbooking at the conference venue, participants departing on October 3^rd will have to change the hotel on October 2^nd for one night. We therefore kindly ask all participants to vacate their rooms until 10 o’clock and leave their luggage with the conference secretariat, which will transport to and check in the luggage at the respective alternative hotels at lunchtime. We will inform you upon your arrival in which hotel you will be lodged for this night and provide transport. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused, which is out of our hands.
The conference secretariat will be based in the room Blue Note at Michaeliskloster and will open daily from 8.30-12.30 and 13.30-18.30. An internet working station is available for the use by conference participants during opening hours – most rooms do also provide internet access.
Our student assistants Janina Hasse and Yasemin Ciftci will be staying at Michaeliskloster overnight and can be contacted in cases of outmost emergencies (see numbers mentioned below).
The room Da Capo will be available during the conference days for meetings, networking and relaxing and can be booked for small meetings through the conference secretariat. Attached to Da Capo is a small kitchen with soft drinks and coffee/tea making facilities – any drinks have to be paid by the individual participants when checking out at the Michaeliskloster reception and are not covered by the WPA budget.
Please hand over all your receipts (boarding passes, taxi and train receipts etc.) upon your arrival on September 28^th-30^th to the conference secretariat so that we can prepare the cash reimbursement (in Euro) of your travel expenses for the following days.
Mobile phones: +49-176-37140287 or +49-176-37109306 (Janina, Yasemin or Anne) +49-179-9216754 (Andrea)
(please contact us for any inquiries or assistance needed during WPA 2009)

The conference is organized in cooperation with and support of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation and the University of Hildesheim in addition to ZIF – Centre for Interdisciplinary Women and Gender Studies at the University of Hildesheim.

Schedule for Workshop Sessions

Thursday, October 1^st, 2009

Parallel Workshop Session A (Auditorium)

Parallel Workshop Session B (Oratorium)

9.00-10.30

Political Actors and Institutions

– Country panel China

Moderator / convenor: Nora Sausmikat, German Asia Foundation

Li Ying:
How Public Interest Litigation Activities Speed up the Legislation of Policies of Women’s Rights and Interests: The Achievements of the Center for Women’s Law Studies & Legal Services of Peking University

Xiaopeng Pang:
Who are true voters? Village elections and women’s participation in voting in rural China

Xie Lihua:
Capacity building for rural women – who wants to participate in politics?

Kerstin Leitner:
How does international aid foster women’s political participation? A critical comment on the role of UNDP and the WHO in China

Women’s Movements

– Challenges of religion

Moderator: Christine Holike, University of Hildesheim

Dina Afrianty:
Responses of local women’s NGOs to Sharia implementation in Aceh – the quest for equality within Acehnese Islam
Kristina Grossmann:
Women as Change Agents? The Power and Powerlessness of Women Activists in the Transformation Process in Aceh, Indonesia
Indu Agnihotri:
Gender, politics and identity – contested claims.
A perspective from India

11.00-12.30

Political Actors and Institutions – National politics

Moderator: Daniel Pinéu, Aberystwyth University

Farzana Bari:
Women challenging the political frontiers in Pakistan
Andrea Fleschenberg:
Afghanistan’s parliament in the making – gendered practices of politics in a transitional country
Dagmar Hellmann-Rajanayagam:
Chandrika Kumaratunga and the decline of female political power

Women’s Movements –Trans- / national perspectives

Moderator: Wendy Smith, University of Hildesheim

Ani Soetjipto:
Women movement in Indonesia – long and turbulence road ahead
Claudia Derichs / Dana Fennert:
Transnational women's movements: the case of cross-regional networking
Michiko Mae:
Japan's participation policy: a new discourse on gender and civil society?

14.00-15.30

Political Actors and Institutions – Local politics

Moderator: Wolfram Schaffar, University of Hildesheim

Sineath Hong / Margherita Maffii:
Promoting political participation of indigenous women in Cambodia
Nongyao Nawarat:
Reconstructing gender identity for political participation – hill tribe women in Northern Thailand
V. Ragupathy:
Women participation in governance at the grassroots in India – policy empowerment and role of political mobilization

Political Theory and Citizenship Discourses

Moderator: Silvia Lange, Gender Equality Officer University of Hildesheim

Baishali Chatterjee:
Cast(e) in the periphery: understanding representation of dalit women and politics in India
Vasundhara Mohan Rallipally:
Muslim women in Indian politics
Chalidaporn Songsamphan:
Contestation on gender and sexuality – impact on democracy and citizenship

16.00-17.30

Political Actors and Institutions – A look at the Arab world

Moderator: Julia Scherf, Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, Asia Desk

Vania Carvalho Pinto:
Women and political participation in the United Arab Emirates
Hoda Salah:
Political participation between ideology and empowerment
Sawsan Karimi:
Evaluating women’s political participation in parliamentary elections – the Bahraini case

Public Policy – Gender mainstreaming

Moderator: Michael Corsten, University of Hildesheim

Astrid Lipinsky:
Next meeting in the presidential office. Women’s efforts to institutionalize gender mainstreaming in Taiwanese politics (1999-2007)
Chap Sopanha:
Women’s involvement in policy development and implementation: Gender Mainstreaming in Cambodia
Ali Hassan Fahimi:
Gender Mainstreaming and State-building in Afghanistan

Friday, October 2^nd, 2009

Parallel Workshop Session A

(Auditorium)

Parallel Workshop Session B

(Oratorium)

9.00-10.30

Women’s movements – Feminist agendas and campaigns

Moderator: Elisabeth Tuider, University of Hildesheim

Xing Ye:
Feminism and Politics in China
Nora Sausmikat:
The fading image of women NGOs in China

Political Theory and Citizenship Discourses – On Democracy / Democratization

Moderator: Waltraud Ernst, ZIF

Susanne Schroeter:
Contemporary gendered discourses on state and society in the Islamic world
Nikita Dhawan:
Decolonialization and democratization – Postcolonial-feminist perspectives
Niklas Reese:
On their way – but to where? Gender and discourses on democratization and citizenship in the Philippines

11.00-12.30

Political Actors and Institutions – Quotas and campaigns

Moderator: Andrea Fleschenberg, University of Hildeshem

Cecilia Ng:
Recasting Power: Women, Democracy and Politics in Malaysia
Julian C. H. Lee:
Shopping for a real candidate – Aunty Bedah and the women’s candidacy initiative in the 2008 Malaysian general elections
Miyoko Tsujimura:
The constitutionality of positive action for women’s political representation in Japan
Jackie F. Steele:
Increasing women’s representation in the Japanese political process: the case of the 2006 lower house elections

Public Policy – Personal status and protective laws

Moderator: Daniel Pinéu, Aberystwyth University

Christine Holike / Hala Kindelsberger:
Islam and Family Law – a comparative perspective from Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia
Tri Lisiani Prihatinah:
The implementation of the law on domestic violence in Indonesia