In a compelling study of Indian women, Geraldine Forbes considers their recent history from the nineteenth century under colonial rule to the twentieth century after Independence. She begins with the reform movement, established by men to educate women, and demonstrates how education changed women's lives enabling them to take part in public life. Through their own accounts of their lives and activities, she documents the formation of their organisations, their participation in the struggle for freedom, their role in the colonial economy and the development of the women's movement in India since 1947.

‘[The author’s] clear, vivid narrative is infused with deep sympathy for her subject and prolific scholarship’.

Source: The Times Higher Education Supplement

‘This book is essential reading for everyone interested in Indian women’.

Source: Journal of Asian Studies

‘… this is a comprehensive and carefully put together record of the developments that shaped women’s lives in India during the 19th and 20th centuries.’

Source: Sunday Herald (India)