Nivedita Menon - Revision history

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			{{Short description\|Feminist, Political Scientist}}

	{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2018}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2018}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=June 2018}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=June 2018}}
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	\|image=Niv menon.jpg		\|image=Niv menon.jpg
	\|caption=Nivedita Menon in May 2015		\|caption=Nivedita Menon in May 2015
	\|nationality=~~India~~		\|nationality=Indian
	\|occupation=Writer, professor		\|occupation=Writer, professor
	}}		}}

	'''Nivedita Menon''' (~~1958~~, ~~Mumbai~~) is a writer and a professor of political thought at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], Delhi.<ref name="Dixit">{{Cite web\|url=http://thewire.in/29345/the-instigator-a-portrait-of-nivedita-menon/\|title=The Instigator: A Portrait of Nivedita Menon - The Wire\|last=Dixit\|first=Neha\|website=thewire.in\|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref> She previously taught at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] and the Department of Political Science at [[Delhi University]].<ref name="Dixit"/>		'''Nivedita Menon''' (1960, Poona/Pune) is a writer and a professor of political thought at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], Delhi.<ref name="Dixit">{{Cite web\|url=http://thewire.in/29345/the-instigator-a-portrait-of-nivedita-menon/\|title=The Instigator: A Portrait of Nivedita Menon - The Wire\|last=Dixit\|first=Neha\|website=thewire.in\|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref> She previously taught at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] and the Department of Political Science at [[Delhi University]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

	==Scholarly career==		==Scholarly career==
	Menon is a [[Feminism\|feminist scholar]] who has taught at the International Studies School of [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] (JNU) in Delhi since 2009.<ref name="Dixit"/><ref>{{cite web\|last=Menon \|first=Nivedita \|url=https://jnu.academia.edu/NiveditaMenon \|title=Nivedita Menon \| Jawaharlal Nehru University - Academia.edu \|publisher=Jnu.academia.edu \|date=1970-01-01 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011329/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=2013-12-03 \|title=Nivedita Menon: We're witnessing new interventions by feminists of all genders \|date=2013-01-07 \|work=[[The Times of India]] \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref name="thehindu1">{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/training-the-eye/article4413132.ece \|title=Training the eye \|newspaper=The Hindu \|date=2013-02-14 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> Before moving to JNU she was a teacher at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] for 15 years, and the political science department at [[Delhi University]] for seven years.<ref name="Dixit"/> Menon says that the Indian feminist movement she was exposed to in college, as well as the writings of global feminists, helped her evolve a better consciousness with respect to issues of sexuality and politics.<ref name="Dixit"/> She was greatly influenced by the work of global feminists like [[Betty Friedan\|Betty Friednan]], [[Germaine Greer]] and [[Gloria Steinem]].<ref name="Dixit"/>		Menon is a [[Feminism\|feminist scholar]] who has taught at the International Studies School of [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] (JNU) in Delhi since 2009.<ref name="Dixit"/><ref>{{cite web\|last=Menon \|first=Nivedita \|url=https://jnu.academia.edu/NiveditaMenon \|title=Nivedita Menon \| Jawaharlal Nehru University - Academia.edu \|publisher=Jnu.academia.edu \|date=1970-01-01 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011329/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=2013-12-03 \|title=Nivedita Menon: We're witnessing new interventions by feminists of all genders \|date=2013-01-07 \|work=[[The Times of India]] \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref name="thehindu1">{{cite news\|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/training-the-eye/article4413132.ece \|title=Training the eye \|newspaper=The Hindu \|date=2013-02-14 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> Before moving to JNU she was a teacher at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] for 15 years, and the political science department at [[Delhi University]] for seven years.<ref name="Dixit"/> Menon says that the Indian feminist movement she was exposed to in college, as well as the writings of global feminists, helped her evolve a better consciousness with respect to issues of sexuality and politics.<ref name="Dixit"/> She was greatly influenced by the work of global feminists like [[Betty Friedan\|Betty Friednan]], [[Germaine Greer]] and [[Gloria Steinem]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

	Menon has written or edited several books about feminism and politics, including the 2004 volume ''Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law''.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.womenunlimited.net/authors/authors_niveditamenon.htm \|title=:::Welcome to the official website of Women Unlimited \|publisher=Womenunlimited.net \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> She also writes on current issues in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', the online news blog [[kafila.org]], and several newspapers.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://kafila.org/about/ \|title=About \|publisher=Kafila \|date=2011-08-28 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal\|url=http://www.epw.in/search/apachesolr_search/nivedita%20menon \|title=Search \| Economic and Political Weekly \|journal=Economic and Political Weekly \|volume=50, 50, 50, 50, 50 \|issue=23, 23, 23, 23, 23 \|pages=7, 7, 7, 7, 7–8, 8, 8, 8, 8 \|publisher=Epw.in \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>		Menon has written or edited several books about feminism and politics, including the 2004 volume ''Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law''.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.womenunlimited.net/authors/authors_niveditamenon.htm \|title=:::Welcome to the official website of Women Unlimited \|publisher=Womenunlimited.net \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> She also writes on current issues in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', the online news blog [[kafila.org]], and several newspapers.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://kafila.org/about/ \|title=About \|publisher=Kafila \|date=2011-08-28 \|access-date=2013-11-15 \|archive-date=12 November 2013 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112225416/http://kafila.org/about/ \|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal\|url=http://www.epw.in/search/apachesolr_search/nivedita%20menon \|title=Search \| Economic and Political Weekly \|journal=Economic and Political Weekly \|volume=50, 50, 50, 50, 50 \|issue=23, 23, 23, 23, 23 \|pages=7, 7, 7, 7, 7–8, 8, 8, 8, 8 \|publisher=Epw.in \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>

	===Reception===		===Reception===
	''Seeing Like a Feminist'', released in 2012, received favourable reviews. It also had high sales, partly due to uproar following the [[2012 Delhi gang rape]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://archive.asianage.com/books/manual-new-feminists-309 \|title=A manual for new feminists \| The Asian Age \|publisher=Archive.asianage.com \|date=2013-04-21 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> The title of the book is a play upon the title of ''Seeing Like a State'' by [[James C. Scott]]. A review in ''[[The Hindu]]'' said that the book "[dissected] social institutions, policy, and common ideas to explain the many ways the process of “gendering” occurs — here making a distinction between ‘sex’ as the biological characteristics and ‘gender’ as the set of cultural meanings that are arrived at over time."<ref name="thehindu1"/> Writing in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', feminist scholar [[Mary John]] said; "Written in a highly engrossing style, [the book] takes on very serious issues while also frequently making the reader smile. Nivedita Menon has managed to condense some of the most complex challenges facing the women’s movement in contemporary India and elsewhere in the form of a series of short reflections that are organised within six chapters."<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.epw.in/book-reviews/little-red-book-feminism.html \|title=The Little Red Book of Feminism? \| Economic and Political Weekly \|publisher=Epw.in \|date=2013-05-04 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?284288 \|title=It Comes Slowly Slowly... \|first=Nivedita \|last=Menon \|newspaper=Outlook \|date=2013-03-08 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/where-is-indias-feminist-movement-headed/?_r=1 \|title=Where is India's Feminist Movement Headed? \|author=Neha Thirani Bagri \|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> A review in ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that "Menon succeeds in shattering some deeply-engrained myths, and her efficient gathering of the intersectional strands makes it a breezy but sharp read."<ref>{{cite web\|author=Sharanya \|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/sifting-through-the-myths-and-assumptions-about-feminism \|title=Sifting through the myths and assumptions about feminism \|publisher=Sunday-guardian.com \|date=2013-02-16 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>		''Seeing Like a Feminist'', released in 2012, received favourable reviews. It also had high sales, partly due to uproar following the [[2012 Delhi gang rape]].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://archive.asianage.com/books/manual-new-feminists-309 \|title=A manual for new feminists \| The Asian Age \|publisher=Archive.asianage.com \|date=2013-04-21 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> The title of the book is a play upon the title of ''Seeing Like a State'' by [[James C. Scott]]. A review in ''[[The Hindu]]'' said that the book "[dissected] social institutions, policy, and common ideas to explain the many ways the process of “gendering” occurs — here making a distinction between ‘sex’ as the biological characteristics and ‘gender’ as the set of cultural meanings that are arrived at over time."<ref name="thehindu1"/> Writing in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', feminist scholar [[Mary John]] said; "Written in a highly engrossing style, [the book] takes on very serious issues while also frequently making the reader smile. Nivedita Menon has managed to condense some of the most complex challenges facing the women’s movement in contemporary India and elsewhere in the form of a series of short reflections that are organised within six chapters."<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.epw.in/book-reviews/little-red-book-feminism.html \|title=The Little Red Book of Feminism? \| Economic and Political Weekly \|publisher=Epw.in \|date=2013-05-04 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?284288 \|title=It Comes Slowly Slowly... \|first=Nivedita \|last=Menon \|newspaper=Outlook \|date=2013-03-08 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/where-is-indias-feminist-movement-headed/?_r=1 \|title=Where is India's Feminist Movement Headed? \|author=Neha Thirani Bagri \|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] \|date=8 March 2013 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> A review in ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that "Menon succeeds in shattering some deeply-engrained myths, and her efficient gathering of the intersectional strands makes it a breezy but sharp read."<ref>{{cite web\|author=Sharanya \|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/sifting-through-the-myths-and-assumptions-about-feminism \|title=Sifting through the myths and assumptions about feminism \|publisher=Sunday-guardian.com \|date=2013-02-16 \|access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>

	==Political activism==		==Political activism==
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	=== Describing Uniform civil code as anti-Muslim ===		=== Describing Uniform civil code as anti-Muslim ===
	In an article published in The Hindu ~~newspaper~~ on 18 October 2016, ~~Nivedita~~ Menon ~~wrote an article criticizing~~ Uniform ~~civil code~~ (UCC).<ref name="thehindu.com">{{Cite news \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/It-isn%E2%80%99t-about-women/article14488767.ece \|title = It isn't about women\|newspaper = The Hindu\|date = 15 July 2016\|last1 = Menon\|first1 = Nivedita}}</ref> She wrote that "~~The~~ talk of a Uniform Civil Code has nothing to do with gender justice. It has entirely to do with a Hindu nationalist agenda to ‘discipline’ Muslims". She went on to describe UCC as "A stick to beat Muslims with" and claimed that "Muslim Personal Law is already modern", as it already provides women right to property, and recognises marriage as a civil contract unlike ~~the hindu marriage~~ which ~~was~~ largely considered sacrament, until recently.<ref name="thehindu.com"/>		In an article published in ''The Hindu'' on 18 October 2016, Menon criticised the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).<ref name="thehindu.com">{{Cite news \| url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/It-isn%E2%80%99t-about-women/article14488767.ece \|title = It isn't about women\|newspaper = The Hindu\|date = 15 July 2016\|last1 = Menon\|first1 = Nivedita}}</ref> She wrote that, "the talk of a Uniform Civil Code has nothing to do with gender justice. It has entirely to do with a Hindu nationalist agenda to ‘discipline’ Muslims". She went on to describe the UCC as "a stick to beat Muslims with" and claimed that the "Muslim Personal Law is already modern", as it already provides women the right to property and recognises marriage as a civil contract, unlike Hindu marriages which were largely considered sacrament, until recently.<ref name="thehindu.com"/>

	===JNU protests===		===JNU protests===
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	Menon claimed that her actual statement was,"We [Indians] must accept that Kashmiri's call for freedom is absolutely justified".<ref>{{cite AV media \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/JDjyf6Meoa8 \|archive-date = 2021-12-11\| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDjyf6Meoa8 \|title = JNU professor says Indian occupied illegally Kashmir, video goes Viral \|website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She also said "We know that people the world over think that India is illegally occupying Kashmir". She also said, "If people are raising slogans for ''azadi'' (freedom), shouldn’t this be looked at in the context of India being seen as an imperialist country internationally?". She also highlighted the fact that Kashmiris equate "India" and Indian nationalism with militarism and abuse of power.<ref name=Sen/>{{sfn\|Young, Beyond Indigenisation\|2017\|p=12}}<ref>{{cite AV media \|title=Lecture on Nationalism at JNU #5 - Nivedita Menon \|publisher=Shilpi Gulati \|date=22 February 2016 \|minutes=36 \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn_SwjvGkRk \|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> Menon later stated that she had not said anything anti-national.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-fresh-row-bjym-files-complaint-against-kanhaiya-kumar-jnu-prof-nivedita-menon-over-anti-national-remarks-2187445 \|title=Fresh row? BJYM files complaint against Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU prof Nivedita Menon over 'anti-national' remarks \| Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis \|publisher=Dnaindia.com \|date=2016-03-09 \|access-date=2016-03-18}}</ref>		Menon claimed that her actual statement was,"We [Indians] must accept that Kashmiri's call for freedom is absolutely justified".<ref>{{cite AV media \|url-status = live \|archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/JDjyf6Meoa8 \|archive-date = 2021-12-11\| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDjyf6Meoa8 \|title = JNU professor says Indian occupied illegally Kashmir, video goes Viral \|website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She also said "We know that people the world over think that India is illegally occupying Kashmir". She also said, "If people are raising slogans for ''azadi'' (freedom), shouldn’t this be looked at in the context of India being seen as an imperialist country internationally?". She also highlighted the fact that Kashmiris equate "India" and Indian nationalism with militarism and abuse of power.<ref name=Sen/>{{sfn\|Young, Beyond Indigenisation\|2017\|p=12}}<ref>{{cite AV media \|title=Lecture on Nationalism at JNU #5 - Nivedita Menon \|publisher=Shilpi Gulati \|date=22 February 2016 \|minutes=36 \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn_SwjvGkRk \|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> Menon later stated that she had not said anything anti-national.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-fresh-row-bjym-files-complaint-against-kanhaiya-kumar-jnu-prof-nivedita-menon-over-anti-national-remarks-2187445 \|title=Fresh row? BJYM files complaint against Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU prof Nivedita Menon over 'anti-national' remarks \| Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis \|publisher=Dnaindia.com \|date=2016-03-09 \|access-date=2016-03-18}}</ref>

	The video of her speech and the reactions to it also led to Menon receiving widespread support online. A number of activists published a statement saying that Menon was being vilified by the media and the police, and that the complaints against her constituted harassment.<ref name=Sen/> Friends and students of Menon created a [[Facebook page]] in her support.<ref>{{Cite news \|last=Kumar \|first=Sunalini \|title=To Nivi Ma'am, With Love \|newspaper=Outlook \|date=15 March 2016 \|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/to-nivi-maam-with-love/296736 \|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref><ref name=Sen/> The controversy led to her being described as a figure of dissent against the [[Hindutva\|Hindu right]].<ref name="Dixit"/>		The video of her speech and the reactions to it also led to Menon receiving widespread support online. A number of activists published a statement saying that Menon was being vilified by the media and the police, and that the complaints against her constituted harassment.<ref name=Sen/> Friends and students of Menon created a [[Facebook page]] in her support.<ref>{{Cite news \|last=Kumar \|first=Sunalini \|title=To Nivi Ma'am, With Love \|newspaper=Outlook \|date=15 March 2016 \|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/to-nivi-maam-with-love/296736 \|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref><ref name=Sen/> The controversy led to her being described as a figure of dissent against the [[Hindutva\|Hindu right]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

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	==References==		==References==
	~~{{commons category\|Nivedita Menon}}~~
	{{reflist\|30em}}		{{reflist\|30em}}
	; Sources		; Sources
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	[[Category:Malayali people]]		[[Category:Malayali people]]
	[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]		[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]
	[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University ~~faculty~~]]		[[Category:Academic staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University]]
	[[Category:Living people]]		[[Category:Living people]]
	[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]		[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]

BellaCH: Nivedita Menon

2022-03-14T17:07:28Z

Nivedita Menon

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
|name= Nivedita Menon
|image=Niv menon.jpg
|caption=Nivedita Menon in May 2015
|nationality=India
|occupation=Writer, professor
}}

'''Nivedita Menon''' (1958, Mumbai) is a writer and a professor of political thought at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], Delhi.<ref name="Dixit">{{Cite web|url=http://thewire.in/29345/the-instigator-a-portrait-of-nivedita-menon/|title=The Instigator: A Portrait of Nivedita Menon - The Wire|last=Dixit|first=Neha|website=thewire.in|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref> She previously taught at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] and the Department of Political Science at [[Delhi University]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

==Scholarly career==
Menon is a [[Feminism|feminist scholar]] who has taught at the International Studies School of [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] (JNU) in Delhi since 2009.<ref name="Dixit"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Menon |first=Nivedita |url=https://jnu.academia.edu/NiveditaMenon |title=Nivedita Menon | Jawaharlal Nehru University - Academia.edu |publisher=Jnu.academia.edu |date=1970-01-01 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011329/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/interviews/36174182_1_feminism-young-women-liberates-women |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-12-03 |title=Nivedita Menon: We're witnessing new interventions by feminists of all genders |date=2013-01-07 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref name="thehindu1">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/training-the-eye/article4413132.ece |title=Training the eye |newspaper=The Hindu |date=2013-02-14 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> Before moving to JNU she was a teacher at [[Lady Shri Ram College]] for 15 years, and the political science department at [[Delhi University]] for seven years.<ref name="Dixit"/> Menon says that the Indian feminist movement she was exposed to in college, as well as the writings of global feminists, helped her evolve a better consciousness with respect to issues of sexuality and politics.<ref name="Dixit"/> She was greatly influenced by the work of global feminists like [[Betty Friedan|Betty Friednan]], [[Germaine Greer]] and [[Gloria Steinem]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

Menon has written or edited several books about feminism and politics, including the 2004 volume ''Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womenunlimited.net/authors/authors_niveditamenon.htm |title=:::Welcome to the official website of Women Unlimited |publisher=Womenunlimited.net |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> She also writes on current issues in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', the online news blog [[kafila.org]], and several newspapers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kafila.org/about/ |title=About |publisher=Kafila |date=2011-08-28 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.epw.in/search/apachesolr_search/nivedita%20menon |title=Search | Economic and Political Weekly |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=50, 50, 50, 50, 50 |issue=23, 23, 23, 23, 23 |pages=7, 7, 7, 7, 7–8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |publisher=Epw.in |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>

===Reception===
''Seeing Like a Feminist'', released in 2012, received favourable reviews. It also had high sales, partly due to uproar following the [[2012 Delhi gang rape]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.asianage.com/books/manual-new-feminists-309 |title=A manual for new feminists | The Asian Age |publisher=Archive.asianage.com |date=2013-04-21 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> The title of the book is a play upon the title of ''Seeing Like a State'' by [[James C. Scott]]. A review in ''[[The Hindu]]'' said that the book "[dissected] social institutions, policy, and common ideas to explain the many ways the process of “gendering” occurs — here making a distinction between ‘sex’ as the biological characteristics and ‘gender’ as the set of cultural meanings that are arrived at over time."<ref name="thehindu1"/> Writing in the journal ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', feminist scholar [[Mary John]] said; "Written in a highly engrossing style, [the book] takes on very serious issues while also frequently making the reader smile. Nivedita Menon has managed to condense some of the most complex challenges facing the women’s movement in contemporary India and elsewhere in the form of a series of short reflections that are organised within six chapters."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epw.in/book-reviews/little-red-book-feminism.html |title=The Little Red Book of Feminism? | Economic and Political Weekly |publisher=Epw.in |date=2013-05-04 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?284288 |title=It Comes Slowly Slowly... |first=Nivedita |last=Menon |newspaper=Outlook |date=2013-03-08 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/where-is-indias-feminist-movement-headed/?_r=1 |title=Where is India's Feminist Movement Headed? |author=Neha Thirani Bagri |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> A review in ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that "Menon succeeds in shattering some deeply-engrained myths, and her efficient gathering of the intersectional strands makes it a breezy but sharp read."<ref>{{cite web|author=Sharanya |url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/sifting-through-the-myths-and-assumptions-about-feminism |title=Sifting through the myths and assumptions about feminism |publisher=Sunday-guardian.com |date=2013-02-16 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>

==Political activism==
Menon is known for her staunch opposition to [[nuclear power]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Tanushree Bhasin |url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/women-at-centre-of-anti-nuclear-battle-from-bhopal-to-fukushima |title=Women at centre of anti-nuclear battle, from Bhopal to Fukushima |publisher=Sunday-guardian.com |date=2013-03-16 |access-date=2013-11-15}}</ref> Menon has commented on the different portrayals of the [[Kashmir conflict]] within India and outside it, and has criticized the [[Armed Forces Special Powers Act]].<ref name=Sen>{{Cite web|url=http://thewire.in/24844/vilification-of-jnu-professor-nivedita-menon-as-anti-national-labelling-continues/|title='Vilification' of JNU Professor Nivedita Menon as 'Anti-National' Labelling Continues|last=Sen|first=Jahnavi|website=thewire.in|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>

=== Describing Uniform civil code as anti-Muslim ===
In an article published in The Hindu newspaper on 18 October 2016, Nivedita Menon wrote an article criticizing Uniform civil code (UCC).<ref name="thehindu.com">{{Cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/It-isn%E2%80%99t-about-women/article14488767.ece |title = It isn't about women|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 15 July 2016|last1 = Menon|first1 = Nivedita}}</ref> She wrote that "The talk of a Uniform Civil Code has nothing to do with gender justice. It has entirely to do with a Hindu nationalist agenda to ‘discipline’ Muslims". She went on to describe UCC as "A stick to beat Muslims with" and claimed that "Muslim Personal Law is already modern", as it already provides women right to property, and recognises marriage as a civil contract unlike the hindu marriage which was largely considered sacrament, until recently.<ref name="thehindu.com"/>

===JNU protests===
{{Further|2016 JNU protests}}
During the [[2016 JNU protests|protests in JNU]] in March 2016, Nivedita Menon made a speech titled "Nation, a daily plebiscite" in which she discussed nation formation, nationalist aspirations, and [[Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir)|Kashmir's accession to the Indian Union]].<ref name="Dixit"/><ref name="John">{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/mary-e-john-this-attack-on-jnu-professor-nivedita-menon/article8357356.ece |title=This attack on Nivedita Menon |last=John |first=Mary E. |author-link=Mary John |date=2016-03-16 |newspaper=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref> The lecture was part of a series about nationalism.<ref name=Sen/> The [[Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad|ABVP]] activist and students union joint secretary Saurabh Kumar Sharma filed a police complaint accusing her of having made anti-national statements to the effect that "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHWHCasOxJk Everyone knows that India is illegally occupying Kashmir]. It is said the world over. Everybody accepts (this)". She was also accused of saying, "Manipur and Kashmir have been illegally occupied by the Indian state".<ref name=Sen/>{{sfn|Young, Beyond Indigenisation|2017|p=12}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-illegally-occupied-by-India-JNU-professor-says-in-controversial-speech/articleshow/51329622.cms |title=Kashmir illegally occupied by India: JNU professor says in controversial speech|publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=2016-03-09 |access-date=2016-03-18}}</ref> A video clip from her lecture was highlighted by the news channel [[Zee News]], which labelled Menon "anti-national". In the clip Nivedita said that " Hindu Society is the most violent, to the root violent society in the world".<ref>{{cite AV media |url-status = live |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/3Ri3Jvh3lHE |archive-date = 2021-12-11| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ri3Jvh3lHE |title = JNU Preofessor Nivedita menon Anti Hindu Speech |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |url-status = live |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/4ZFCMTSbsRo |archive-date = 2021-12-11| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZFCMTSbsRo |title = JNU Prof tells students "Hindu Society" is the most violent society in world |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The incident led to her being targeted for her views by people and student organisations.<ref name="John"/><ref name=Sen/>

Menon claimed that her actual statement was,"We [Indians] must accept that Kashmiri's call for freedom is absolutely justified".<ref>{{cite AV media |url-status = live |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/JDjyf6Meoa8 |archive-date = 2021-12-11| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDjyf6Meoa8 |title = JNU professor says Indian occupied illegally Kashmir, video goes Viral |website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She also said "We know that people the world over think that India is illegally occupying Kashmir". She also said, "If people are raising slogans for ''azadi'' (freedom), shouldn’t this be looked at in the context of India being seen as an imperialist country internationally?". She also highlighted the fact that Kashmiris equate "India" and Indian nationalism with militarism and abuse of power.<ref name=Sen/>{{sfn|Young, Beyond Indigenisation|2017|p=12}}<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Lecture on Nationalism at JNU #5 - Nivedita Menon |publisher=Shilpi Gulati |date=22 February 2016 |minutes=36 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn_SwjvGkRk |access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> Menon later stated that she had not said anything anti-national.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-fresh-row-bjym-files-complaint-against-kanhaiya-kumar-jnu-prof-nivedita-menon-over-anti-national-remarks-2187445 |title=Fresh row? BJYM files complaint against Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU prof Nivedita Menon over 'anti-national' remarks | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2016-03-09 |access-date=2016-03-18}}</ref>

The video of her speech and the reactions to it also led to Menon receiving widespread support online. A number of activists published a statement saying that Menon was being vilified by the media and the police, and that the complaints against her constituted harassment.<ref name=Sen/> Friends and students of Menon created a [[Facebook page]] in her support.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Sunalini |title=To Nivi Ma'am, With Love |newspaper=Outlook |date=15 March 2016 |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/to-nivi-maam-with-love/296736 |access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref><ref name=Sen/> The controversy led to her being described as a figure of dissent against the [[Hindutva|Hindu right]].<ref name="Dixit"/>

== Personal life ==
Menon is known as 'Nivi' to most of her students and peers. She belongs to an upper-caste middle-class family, and was brought up in different parts of India, including [[Mumbai]], [[Kolkata]] and [[Delhi]].<ref name="Dixit"/> Menon's sister is the queer activist, stand-up comedian, and gender and sexuality consultant Pramada Menon,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://arrow.org.my/people/pramada-menon/|title=pramada menon - Arrow|newspaper=Arrow|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tarshi.net/inplainspeak/pramada-menon-why-do-families-occupy-so-much-of-our-headspace/|title=Pramada Menon: Why do families occupy so much of our headspace? • In Plainspeak|date=2015-05-01|work=In Plainspeak|access-date=2017-04-27|language=en-US|archive-date=7 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907050643/http://www.tarshi.net/inplainspeak/pramada-menon-why-do-families-occupy-so-much-of-our-headspace/|url-status=dead}}</ref> who co-founded the organization Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action (CREA).<ref name="princeton">{{Cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/gpn/profiles/menon/|title=Pramada Menon - Gender and Policy Network|website=Princeton University|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523142236/http://www.princeton.edu/gpn/profiles/menon/|archive-date=23 May 2017|access-date=2016-11-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tarshi.net/inplainspeak/interview-pramada-menon/|title=Interview: Pramada Menon • In Plainspeak|date=2014-05-01|work=In Plainspeak|access-date=2017-04-27|language=en-US|archive-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015154112/http://www.tarshi.net/inplainspeak/interview-pramada-menon/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their brother is Dilip Menon, who is a historian at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.<ref name="Dixit"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/profiles/dilip-menon-186260|title=Dilip Menon|website=The Conversation|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>

==Selected works==
* ''Power and Contestation: India since 1989 (Global History of the Present)'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/120643-power-and-contestation-india-since-1989-by-nivedita-menon-and-aditya/|title=Power and Contestation: India since 1989 by Nivedita Menon and Aditya Nigam|newspaper=PopMatters|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>
* ''Seeing Like a Feminist'' (2012).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://feminisminindia.com/2016/08/19/book-review-seeing-like-a-feminist-nivedita-menon/|title=Book Review: Seeing Like a Feminist by Nivedita Menon|last=Sharma|first=Nalini|date=2016-08-19|website=Feminism in India|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>
* ''Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond The Law'' (2004).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/37ckh8qc9780252029691.html|title=UI Press {{!}} Nivedita Menon {{!}} Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics beyond the Law|last=Menon|first=Nivedita|website=www.press.uillinois.edu|access-date=2016-10-18}}</ref>
* ''Gender And Politics In India'' <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPcUAQAAIAAJ&q=nivedita+menon&pg=PA1 |title=Gender And Politics In India - Google Books |access-date=2013-11-15|isbn=9780195658934 |last1=Menon |first1=Nivedita |year=2001 }}</ref>
* ''Sexualities'' (collected volume)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Singh|first1=Jyoti|title=Feminist writings|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070708/spectrum/book2.htm|work=The Tribune|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
In 1994, Nivedita Menon won the A. K. Ramanujan Award (Instituted by Katha) for translation from [[Hindi]] and [[Malayalam]] into English 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jnu.ac.in/FacultyStaff/ShowProfile.asp?SendUserName=nivedita |title=Show Profile |publisher=Jnu.ac.in |date=2011-08-05 |access-date=2016-03-18}}</ref>

==References==
{{commons category|Nivedita Menon}}
{{reflist|30em}}
; Sources
* {{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Sandra |title=Beyond Indigenisation: Hamlet, Haider, and the Pain of the Kashmiri People |journal=Shakespeare |volume=14 |issue=4 |year=2017 |pages=1–16 |issn=1745-0918 |doi=10.1080/17450918.2017.1351486 |s2cid=149256328 |ref={{sfnref|Young, Beyond Indigenisation|2017}}}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Nivedita}}
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]
[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University faculty]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian women social scientists]]
[[Category:Indian political scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian social scientists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Educators from Delhi]]
[[Category:Women educators from Delhi]]
[[Category:Women political scientists]]