Frank Conlon <conlon@U.WASHINGTON.EDU> · 2013-04-29 23:56

H-ASIA
April 29, 2013

Resource for female students traveling to South Asia

(x-post RISA-L)
**********************************************************************
Ed. note: Some old timers on H-ASIA will recall the quotation that 
emerged out of a fellowship selection meeting maybe twenty years ago 
which ran "Nobody should go to India for the first time."  While this 
gentle ribbing about 'culture shock' has amused some friends, I think 
Erin Epperson has provided a very positive contribution to not "making 
little jhok" but tackling an important issue.  I have cross-posted 
this from RISA-L, and think it would be of real interest and utility
to all scholars, women and men, heading off to South Asia. While one 
item refers to 'white women'--I suspect that in many contexts, the
skin of a woman is irrelevant to predators, of whom there are many.
                                                              FFC
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
From: Erin H. Epperson <eheppe@uchicago.edu>

I am writing to share with you a resource I hope will be helpful for your
students, especially female students traveling to South Asia for the first
time. By way of introduction, I am a Ph.D. Candidate from the University of
Chicago writing about the role Buddhism played in the transmission and
translation of Sanskrit literature into Tibetan. I have visited India and
Nepal several times for research and language study and recently spent 6
months in India for my dissertation research.

In response to a shared experience of harassment with two other women while
riding in an auto-rickshaw, I decided to start a blog addressing harassment
issues for female travelers: (http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/)

The purpose of this blog I summarized in my first entry 
<http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2012/10/women-traveling.html>:

I created this blog as a public resource for female travelers concerned
with issues of sexual harassment while travelling, in particular in South
Asian countries. ... despite this recurring issue, most female travelers,
including myself, prefer to minimize their experiences, shrugging it off as
"no big deal" or else trying to block more painful experiences from their
memory. This is not meant to scare women-- this is intended to be a
resource for women wanting to talk through and share their experiences.

I believe fundamentally that it is important for women to share these 
stories and talk through their experiences, no matter how large or 
small. Sexual harassment and sometimes sexual assault are realities, 
even while traveling, and there are too few resources available for 
women trying to cope with cross-cultural issues.

I wrote 10 entries over the 6 months that I was in India.

Some topics include:
"Sexual Harassment of White women in India"
<http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2012/10/sexual-harassment-of-white-women-in.html>,?

A review/critique of  "Travel guidebooks and blogs on sexual
harassment"
<http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2012/10/travel-guidebooks-and-blogs-on-sexual.html>,

Advice regarding ?Openness to Travel and Trusting our Instincts 
<http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2012/10/openness-to-travel-and-trusting-our.html>,

An analysis of media coverage of rapes including the West Bengal 
rapes in November and the so-called "Delhi gang-rape"
<http://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2012/12/recent-narratives-on-rape-in-india.html>,

and a post attempting to give a response to a question I often 
receive from female travelers in India:  "Why should women come/return 
to India" 
<ht tp://travelingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-should-women-come-to-india.html>?
(given risk of harassment or worse).

I started this blog with the idea that it could be a public resource for
female travelers, especially for students.  It was suggested I share this
blog with this list in case anyone might find it of use for themselves or
for their students. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me at
eheppe@uchicago.edu

Sincerely,

Erin Epperson

Erin Epperson
PhD Candidate, SALC
University of Chicago
eheppe@uchicago.edu
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Subject:	H-ASIA: Resource for female students traveling to South Asia
Date:	2013-04-29 23:56
From:	Frank Conlon <conlon@U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
To:	H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU
Reply-To:	H-Net list for Asian History and Culture <H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU>