Welcome

Welcome! The South Asian Feminist Activism Archive (SAFAA) is dedicated to the digital preservation and public availability of rare feminist protest posters, original feminist street plays and protest songs, as well as photographs of grassroots activism from India.

Focusing on art as activism, this archive details an important history of grassroots feminist activism regarding social issues such as women’s health, sexual and domestic violence, female infanticide, as well as educational and legal inequities.

The archive and this website were created by Dr. Christine Garlough, Dr. Manisha Shelat, members of Olakh, Sahiyar, Jagaran Nepal, and Humsafar Trust, along with a team of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Together we have sought to preserve, translate, catalogue, and publicize the existence of these important examples of grassroots political communication and make them accessible to teachers, activists, researchers, and general users around the world.

The research team also has developed curriculum materials to accompany the digital archive. This work seeks to facilitate outreach and fulfill the commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, providing lesson plans and supplemental materials. In this way, educators can facilitate their students’ knowledge building around global feminism, grassroots activism, and learn about the transnational issues facing women worldwide; issues like gender-based violence, health disparities, and educational inequality.

We hope you enjoy and learn from the materials offered here. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to know more about the project.