In my life, the rules I was raised with protected me not from the physical violence of a hostile city, but from the harsh realities of poor choices. The authors' experience of this type of conservatism was drenched in the negativity of victim-blaming and the heavy, one-sided responsibility of family honor. Choice had little to do with it; women's personal freedoms hadn't extended that far. One other point that I struggled with was the implication that sexual violence is equal to other physical violence.
This is never explicitly stated, but neither it is acknowledged that the risk of sexual violence is a more laden risk than the risk of other physical violence. The authors' discussion of risk rests mainly on reputation; men run the risk of violence in the city too, but "for men, an assault is just an assault On the other hand, "even when [women] are not assaulted, The book suggests that "choosing to take risks, even of possible sexual violence in public spaces, undermines a sexist structure where women's virtue is prized over their desires or agency" In other words, the greater fear of sexual violence towards women than other physical violence towards men is a relic of antiquated values that value female virginity.
I suppose I had always suspected that sexual violence was worse than just being beaten up, not because it deprived me of my virtue, but because it was a deeper more personal violation of my self, my body, and my expression of love in a way that other physical violence never could touch. Perhaps this not true; may I never find out. Perhaps the rights being fought for in this battle for risk are entirely worth the sacrifice.
Either way, it is an interesting departure, and one that left me with a strange aftertaste. The wonderful thing about this book is its frank and practical discussion of urban planning in regards to creating a safe environment for all of the inhabitants of the urban space. The authors had conducted a research study called the Gender and Space project, discussing the ways that disadvantaged demographics mainly, but not solely women utilized the city.
The research results deviate from urban planning orthodoxy; design for "beautification" often neglects comfort and safety, and measures to keep out "undesirables" often results in blocking access for "desirables" as well. In Mumbai specifically, the streets crowded with sidewalk shanties design horror! Simply the existence of well-lit parks with benches and without tall corralling fences and the installation of clean, well-lit, unlocked-at-night female public toilets would go a long way towards making the city "inviting to women and discourag[ing] situations where women get harrassed" The last section in the book is devoted to a discussion of the ways that different female demographics can pursue pleasure and fun in the city and how the pursuit of fun is a fundamental right.
The authors push back on the idea that women "can't ask for more" than the basic survival freedoms they already have, and argue that women aren't truly equal in a society that denies them fun. There are a couple over-simplified moralizing moments, such as stereotyping women who have left careers for motherhood, and there is a welcome slackening of the call to Rebellion! Again, I needed to remind myself that the women in India are operating under a different level of protectionism than I ever did, regardless of my conservative religious upbringing.
It is not "our intention to romanticize risk itself," the authors argue 61 , but they come close when they ask questions such as "Is it possible for good girls to have fun?
I think their point is to highlight the undesirable cultural bias around the labels "good girl" and "bad girl", but there also seems to be direct encouragement to disregard parental strictures as the outdated morals of a clinging and dangerous patriarchy. This book was a highly engaging and worthwhile read that challenged many of my assumptions, both about the nature of women's rights struggles around the world, and about the value of risk vs.
I think that the argument of this book "We believe that it is only by claiming the right to risk that women can truly claim citizenship" would prove unspectacular in America, but I believe that it is a powerful stance in the India of today. Apr 10, Chirashree Manik rated it it was amazing. Apr 28, Harshita rated it it was amazing Shelves: philling-the-em , year-of-women.
First book I bought off Amazon. Sep 21, aisu rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction. Nov 13, Zainab Qureshi rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction-november. Why Loiter is an essential read to understand how women navigate public space, the complexities that come with it and the anxiety that entering a public space produces.
This conditional access means women cannot loiter—an act that would mean actively 'courting risk' and engaging in the pleasure of doing so—both of which stem from desire and good, respectable women do not pursue desire in public. By linking the act of loitering to citizenship as the right of an individual, irrespective of their groups affiliations, to take pleasure in the city as an act of claim and belonging, Why Loiter places the responsibility of providing for infrastructure on the state and city administration like transport, public toilets, street lighting which will facilitate women to voluntarily court risk and find pleasure.
Ending with "The unconditional claim to public space will only be possible when all women and all men can walk the streets without being compelled to demonstrate purpose or respectability. Women's access to public space is fundamentally linked to the access of all citizens.
The litmus test of this right to public space is the right to loiter, especially for women across all classes Aug 18, Nikita rated it it was amazing Shelves: owned. The ideas presented in the book are phenomenal and the arguments made are impressive.
It's very recently that feminists have taken up subjects of female pleasure, and most of it confines itself to sexual pleasure. But why confine pleasure to just sexual pleasure? Loitering as kind of pleasure is rarely given much due, and moving around without purpose is still questioned. Although the book speaks about women's freedom to loiter, it at no point disregards others' access to public space, including The ideas presented in the book are phenomenal and the arguments made are impressive.
Although the book speaks about women's freedom to loiter, it at no point disregards others' access to public space, including the so called "predators". The premise of the book is very inclusive, becuase "no one group can claim access for itself without claiming it for all others". Oct 16, Rahil Shah rated it really liked it. So well researched! Sep 21, Viola rated it really liked it Shelves: http-www-solidarityforeverbook-com , feminism.
I thought of her as a very serious person. Ruchika hangs from a tree, while Venu and her friend Sunil have fun at a picnic It was a way of imagining things her mother might have enjoyed and expressing regret at what she might have missed that led Yadav, 30, to start photographing the carefree moments of women around her: women hanging upside down from trees, enjoying ice lollies, dancing, applying henna.
The growing collection of photos — of friends, family and strangers — became the Basanti: women at leisure project. I think leisure does exactly that. It has photos of such ordinary moments. Leisure is a feminist issue. It essentially tells you who can afford it.
The co-author of Why Loiter? It indicates a claim to the city, the right to be out for fun, to hang out, to belong to the city. Talk of oppression, freedom and rights usually centres around big, violent issues, says Yadav.
It is driven by controlling what you eat, who you talk to, who you love, how you love. If oppression is about curtailing freedom of being, then I feel leisure is such a good answer to that. Right: Rinki tries to learn English by reading a novel Lack of leisure time is often felt more acutely by rural women, she adds.
Around the world women do three times more cooking, cleaning and caring for relatives than men. A study found that women in India averaged six hours of unpaid work a day, compared with 36 minutes for men. Sushma, a teacher, spends time with her family Sneha applies a face mask for her partner, Sourabh. You are supposed to be slaving all the time in the most punishing way.
But even middle-class women are not released from domestic burdens, from the importance of educating and bringing up children.
She was the first person in her village to go to university — she studied at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi and UC Berkeley, California — or travel abroad. She recently founded a social enterprise creating employment opportunities for young women and transgender people in rural India, Sajhe Sapne. I read a lot, I write a lot, I travel a lot. My mother did none of that. The more I grow up and the more I see myself as a woman, the more I miss her. View 1 comment. Mar 02, Apurva rated it it was amazing.
An excellent book - well researched and thought provoking. The idea that women have a right to take risks, to loiter and denying them that is to deny them citizenship, is truly commendable. The book also argues that keeping women 'safe' in sheltered spaces, limiting their access to public spaces is a kind of violence, similar to the kind they may face otherwise.
As an Indian woman brought up in Mumbai, I could definitely identify with all the points raised. A must read for sure. Jan 24, Jennifer added it. Mar 22, Reema rated it it was amazing. Jun 29, Prema rated it really liked it. Jan 07, Ritika Varshney rated it it was amazing. Why Loiter looks at Mumbai, dissects public spaces from a sociological lens and argues for women to loiter in order to claim their citizenship. We do not have a lot of literature relevant in Indian context that examine city from a feminist perspective.
The book is an excellent read for non- academic audience. For academic audience the detailed footnotes help to understand re Why Loiter looks at Mumbai, dissects public spaces from a sociological lens and argues for women to loiter in order to claim their citizenship. For academic audience the detailed footnotes help to understand relevant theory concerned to topic. When women loiter the state will have to provide better infrastructure and safety.
It is well researched specially the areas that talk about public washrooms. For someone trying to understand urbanization from a sociological perspective this book is a must read. Convert currency. Add to Basket. Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New Book. More information about this seller Contact this seller. Items related to Why Loiter? Why Loiter?
Apart from the north and south India divide, there was also a vast loneliness. None of my colleagues was of the same age as me, and later I was told that most people my age leave the city to work elsewhere. Trapped in a place like this, I had nowhere to go but just walk to the nearest supermarket and then back to my flat.
In trying to connect with my immediate surroundings, whenever I tried to venture out for a walk or to the mall, I felt a stiffness rise within me. I did not know or understand Tamil, the language spoken there, and this compounded my fears of being alone. I had thought that Coimbatore would be like Pune, but the social fabric, coupled with the innately closed nature of the places I visited, made my life miserable.
But just the fact that I could not be outdoors or interact with people made the rest of my life shrivel. After five months, when I moved back to Delhi for a new job, it enthused me like never before. I had my apprehensions about being a single woman in Delhi with a low-paying job. But these fears were allayed when I saw things from the perspective of being able to enjoy myself in the city in many ways. In other words, I created a new discipline to frame my relationship with this city.
Our safety is something that at a visceral level none of us take for granted but strangely enough, this need to plot, plan and strategise has come to assume the proportions of a taken-for-granted life-world for all of us. As I ask questions of them and myself, this sense of stoic taken-for-grantedness crumbles, producing angry and humiliated stories of harassment. Early on during my time in Delhi, I decided to walk to grow my roots there.
Even if the roads were empty, even if there were only luxury sedans cruising up and down, even if I had to be alone. I walked to the nearby market, then I walked to the vegetable vendor. I spent time in the neighbourhood park and took pleasure in purchasing dairy products directly across the counter. Before the pandemic, even when there was an option to get groceries delivered at home, I took it upon myself to go and buy things. I made small talk wherever I could, getting to know people and giving them a window to know me.
Delhi is also replete with constant arguments about its lack of safety. Among women, it is an accepted afterparty code to drop a text to everyone else after getting home. What does the presence or absence of that text indicate?
As I continue to find my place here, some spaces welcome me, while the others continue to elude me.
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