Centre for Women's Development Studies
The Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS) was founded in 1980 by a group of scholars and activists committed to expanding and transforming accepted notions of gender-related research and action across the social sciences. The establishment of the centre was a direct outcome of the experiences of its founders—some of them had been an integral part of the path-breaking Towards Equality (Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India, 1974) while others had participated in the Indian Council of Social Science Research's introduction of women's studies (1976–80). Through its research, action, documentation, training, and networking in the intervening years, the centre has been steadily deepening its critical analyses of trends and issues related to women and gender. Seeking new directions in feminist scholarship, its faculty has initiated and facilitated multidisciplinary explorations, found new institutional partners as well as shared its research findings with a growing network of scholars and activists. In response to the major economic, political, and cultural shifts and unanticipated challenges that have brought us into the twenty-first century, CWDS is effecting a synergy between existing concerns and new compulsions. The CWDS is among the most well-known institutions committed to the theory and practice of women's studies and gender justice in the region. It consists of a faculty with diverse research interests, actively promotes advocacy and policy interventions, and houses an impressive library and documentation centre. Located in the heart of New Delhi, the centre attracts scholars, students, activists, and many others from India and also abroad who draw on its resources and varied expertise. Major Activities
The major activities of the Centre include: In its formative years, an underlying commitment of the CWDS was to play the role of catalyst, stimulating processes that would work towards the constitutional goals of women's equality and participation in all aspects of national life. The early research projects of the centre – on land rights, women's work, natural resources, the law, and family strategies (to name a few) – as well as its action project in West Bengal have reflected a quest to better understand the forces at play in Indian society from the perspectives of women's lives, especially the most disenfranchised. Since then, the centre has seen an accretion in its staff as well as in the spread of activities and interests. Some broad research areas of the current faculty include:
 Globalisation, women and work
 Democracy, politics and governance
 The Children's rights of the child
 Law and systems of justice
 Statistics and gender indicators
 Migration and citizenship
 Comparative perspectives on health
 Violence and disability
 Gender and conflict
 Gender and education
 Histories of the women's movement
 Women's studies and feminism

Action Research
From its inception, the centre's intention has been to work for change by going beyond the conventions of pure research and academic neutrality. Action research was a direct outcome of this strategy and came to be most fully realised in the Project in West Bengal. Combining women's grassroots' empowerment with enhanced livelihood skills, the Project gave hitherto marginalised rural women a voice in shaping their lives and that of their communities. Our action research projects have demonstrated how grassroots women's organisations – otherwise the most remote from institutions of higher education – can be partners in the production of knowledge about women's lives and struggles. Library Services 
The CWDS library is a specialised resource centre, housing one of the most comprehensive collections of published and unpublished material relating to women in India. Its vast array of resources includes books, journals, conference documents, newsletters and an extensive corpus of newspaper clippings. The library also provides a range of regular information services, which include the monthly Current Awareness Service Bulletin, the Library Reading List Series, a listing of current contents of periodicals and analytical alert service, which informs users about the contents of edited volumes received by the library. It also prepares thematic bibliographies on various issues. The CWDS library initiated BOL – an Electronic Discussion List on gender issues in South Asia in January 2000. The library has in the last few years been actively developing its electronic outreach and new forms of digitisation. The library is in the process of building an archive for researchers in women's studies through its website. 