The Narmada River Project: Toward a feminist model of women in development

A number of competing models of women in development have been vying for the allegiance of feminist scholars concerned with gender equity in the Third World. This article compares the merits of the liberal integration model, the marginalization model, the capitalist exploitation model, and the socialist feminist model in assessing the probable consequences of a mega-development project for women. Using the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River in India as a case study, the essay contrasts the outcomes projected by each model in order to explore the play of gender in Third World societies and in development policies. In addition, applying these competing models to an on-going development project illuminates limitations in each model which must be overcome if the goal of a feminist model of women in development is to minimize the harm done to women by development and to empower women of the Third World.