REVISITING GENDER THROUGH THE LENS OF INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM

Abstract

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) holds a wealth of traditional wisdom that has shaped how societies in India have understood gender across generations. This chapter revisits that understanding by examining how gender roles and relations have been reflected in indigenous practices, oral traditions, and community-based knowledge. While IKS has historically acknowledged the significant contributions of women in areas such as agriculture, spirituality, and household well-being, it has also reinforced unequal power dynamics in many social contexts. This chapter brings these two realities together and explores how modern scholarship is now reinterpreting traditional knowledge to promote gender sensitivity and equity. It further highlights how these insights can be meaningfully integrated into teacher education programmes, enabling educators to foster inclusive and gender-aware classrooms. Ultimately, the chapter argues that a thoughtful and balanced engagement with IKS can contribute to building a more equitable and sustainable society, one that honours ancestral knowledge while addressing the needs of the present.