Interview with Geraldine Forbes

Abstract

Professor Geraldine Forbes is the Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita, State University of New York, Oswego. As a pioneering persona in the fields of women’s studies and women’s history in India, Professor Forbes charts new avenues in exploring the lives and works of women in India and imparts historical visibility to women’s issues from the perspectives of women. For the last fifty years, her path-breaking contributions as a dedicated researcher of women’s history have inspired generations of scholars in the field of women’s studies in India. Her seminal books, such as Women in Colonial India and Women in Modern India, and numerous research papers have been an enriching oeuvre for women’s studies researchers. A well-known feminist historian of international repute, Geraldine is known for her dynamism, her keen interest in new research in women’s studies and the warmth of her character. Her humanism and sensitivity are truly remarkable.

This interview is an attempt to revisit the journey of Professor Geraldine Forbes as a woman thinker in the arena of women’s history. We are really indebted to Geraldine for giving us the time and space to respond to our queries. We met Prof. Geraldine Forbes in the apartment where she stays in Kolkata on 11 March 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Our meeting lasted for about one and a half hours, and the following is the output of our conversation.