Shahida Lateef is an Indian writer and scholar known for her work on the social and political realities of Muslim women in India. Her research focuses on gender studies, minority studies, and women’s movements in the country. She’s most recognised for her book, Muslim Women in India: Political & Private Realities, 1890s–1980s, which is considered a foundational text in the field.
Lateef’s landmark 1990 book, Muslim Women in India, mapped a century of change for Muslim women, covering topics like education, literacy, social legislation, and community politics. The book’s strength lies in its approach, which links “private” gender norms with “public” political life. Her research was based on a survey across nine major Indian cities, combined with a historical analysis of reform and legal debates. This methodology helped shift the academic conversation, encouraging scholars to view Muslim women as agents of change, situated at the intersection of gender, class, and minority identity.
A particularly influential concept advanced by Lateef is that of Muslim women as a “minority within a minority.” This framing highlights how their gendered experiences are uniquely shaped by their minority status and the broader communal politics of India. This lens has become a durable analytic tool for scholars studying gender and minority issues in the region.
In addition to her book, Lateef also contributed to the discourse on the broader Indian women’s movement. In a 1977 essay titled “Whither the Indian Women’s Movement?” published in the Economic & Political Weekly, she analysed the movement’s currents and tensions in relation to national development and social change. She also authored a chapter in the 1981 volume, “The Extended Family: Women and Political Participation in India and Pakistan,” where she further situated women’s political involvement within the wider development debates.
Shahida Lateef holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Sussex, which she completed in 1983. She was also a Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) from 1976 to 1981.
Her major publications include:
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Muslim Women in India: Political & Private Realities, 1890s–1980s (Zed Books, 1990; also published by Kali for Women). This book, approximately 230–238 pages, is a key contribution to South Asian gender studies and is frequently cited in academic discussions.
- “The Indian Women’s Movement and National Development: An Overview,” a chapter in The Extended Family: Women and Political Participation in India and Pakistan (Chanakya, 1981).
- “Whither the Indian Women’s Movement?” an article in Economic & Political Weekly (1977).
- “Muslim Women in India: A Minority Within a Minority,” a chapter in Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity Within Unity (Lynne Rienner, 1998).