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Playing with Fire Feminist Thought and Activism through Seven Lives in India Sangtin Writers Collective and Richa Nagar Foreword by Chandra Talpade Mohanty Table of Contents		$22.50 Paper ISBN: 0-8166-4770-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-4770-5 $60.00 Cloth ISBN: 0-8166-4769-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-4769-9
Understanding the labor and politics of NGOs through the lives of seven Indian women. Seven voices contribute to this rare glimpse of the work being done on the front lines of the fight for social change in India. Playing with Fire is written in the collective voice of women employed by a large NGO as activists in their communities and is based on diaries, interviews, and conversations among them. Together their personal stories reveal larger themes and questions of sexism, casteism, and communalism, and a startling picture emerges of how NGOs both nourish and stifle local struggles for solidarity. The Hindi edition of the book, Sangtin Yatra, published in 2004, created controversy that resulted in backlash against the authors by their employer. The publication also drew support for the women and instigated a public conversation about the issues exposed in the book. Here, Richa Nagar addresses the dispute in the context of the politics of NGOs and feminist theory, articulating how development ideology employed by aid organizations serves to reinforce the domination of those it claims to help. “Provides a rich and nuanced account of the deep contradiction and double standards embedded in the very foundations of NGOs structures.” —The Hindu “This easily readable book is a landmark contribution to feminist research methodology and accountability in knowledge production. Its authors understanding even includes ‘feminist’ NGOs as organizations reflecting social hierarchies, while attempting to change them. They offer valuable insights into the process of women’s empowerment. This is a ‘must read’ book for NGO leaders and board members, grassroots workers, donors, government policy makers, and academic institutions.” —Development in Practice The Sangtin Writers, Anupamlata, Ramsheela, Reshma Ansari, Richa Singh, Shashibala, Shashi Vaish, Surbala, and Vibha Bajpayee, are grassroots activists and members of a small organization called Sangtin in Uttar Pradesh, India. Richa Nagar teaches women’s studies at the University of Minnesota. 216 pages | 5 7⁄8 x 9 | 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Chandra Talpade Mohanty Acknowledgments Introduction: Playing with Fire: A Collective Journey Across Borders Richa Nagar A Journey of Sangtin Anupamlata, Ramsheela, Reshma Ansari, Richa Nagar, Richa Singh, Shashi Vaish, Shashibala, Surbala and Vibha Bajpayee 1. The Beginnings of a Collective Journey 2. A Very Short Childhood 3. From the Streets of Babul to the Wetness of Aanchal 4. Prisons Within Prisons: Battles Stretching from the Courtyard to the Mind 5. Cracking Cages, New Skies 6. Challenges of NGOization and Dreams of Sangtin Post-Script: NGOs, Global Feminisms and Collaborative Border-Crossings Richa Nagar Notes Glossary Selected Bibliography Index

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