> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: [[Aarti Kawlra]] > Reference:: Aarti Kawlra, “The Question of Women and Craft, Pre- and Post Independence India” in Katy Deepwell edited, *De-/Anti-/Post-colonial Feminisms in Contemporary Art and Textile Crafts*. KT Press, pp 95-111, 2023. > Date:: 2023 > Tags:: #warp #India #textiles > WeftLinks:: [[Equity value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft provides empowerment for women]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > Weaving was introduced to marginalised women in India to ensure their social integration. ### Highlights  In south India, Muthulakshmi Reddy fought against prevailing norms of caste and patriarchy by introducing training programs for socially ostracized women that emphasized moral hygiene (house-keeping, midwifery, nursing, weaving, needle-work, dress-making, home-science), thereby ensuring their acceptance and integration within caste society.