Book Details:

• Publisher: Niruta Publications

• Edition: First Edition

• Language: English

About the Book:

The police in contemporary society serve as the most visible part of the bureaucracy, symbolizing authority, stability, and order. Policing, historically one of the most masculinized occupations, has faced resistance in allowing women to join. The struggle to open this traditionally male-dominated domain to women has been long and challenging. Factors such as better education, legal enactments, and changing socio-cultural values have played a pivotal role in this transformation. The philosophical foundation for this 'integrated model of policing' is rooted in liberal feminism, which emphasizes that women should be treated exactly the same as men and should perform all mainstream police duties like their male counterparts.

In India, however, the debate continues on whether an 'integrated model' or 'gendered model' should be applied when assigning duties to women in the police force. The book Women in Police in India: A Journey from Periphery to Core attempts to bridge this debate by applying Jennifer Brown's western model of women's integration into the police force within the Indian context. It explores the power structures that define and circumscribe the lives of women in the police force, detailing how they negotiate within the patriarchal structures of law enforcement in India.

The book delves into the intersection of class, rank, and gender to understand the professional lives of female police personnel in India. It explores these issues from both a feminist perspective and an administrative viewpoint to examine the impact of women in the police force on governance and public policy. The challenges faced by women in influencing decision-making and the practical implications of their presence in the police force are discussed in-depth.

Contents:

• Introduction

• Women in Police: International and National Policies

• Empowerment of Women in Police: Rhetoric or Reality

• Gender and Policing: Two Models

• Women Police as Leaders: An Indian Perspective

• Mainstreaming of Women in Police

• Conclusion

About the Author:

Tumpa Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Women's Christian College (affiliated with the University of Calcutta), Kolkata. She is an alumna of Presidency College and the University of Calcutta, Kolkata. Her doctoral studies were focused on "Women Police in Community Policing: A Comparative Study of Kolkata Police with West Bengal Police (Districts of North & South 24 Parganas)" at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Her research interests include Gender Studies, Police, and Prison Studies.

With more than a decade of teaching experience in sociology, she has taught undergraduate students at Scottish Church College (affiliated with the University of Calcutta), Kolkata. Mukherjee has also served as Guest Faculty at the Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy, Government of West Bengal (2009–2011), and as a Visiting Lecturer at the Central Detective Training School, Kolkata, under the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. She was invited to deliver lectures on "Gender and Community Policing" to police officers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

Mukherjee’s articles have been published in refereed journals, edited volumes (published in India and Germany), newspapers such as The Telegraph and The Hindustan Times, and on various social media platforms. Her published works include Community Policing in India: A Sociological Perspective and Indian Prisons: Towards Reformation, Rehabilitation, and Resocialisation (co-edited).