How Gloria Steinem’s lifechanging stay in India shaped her approach to feminism
The activist said her two years studying and travelling in country ‘made me who I am’
TL;DR
- Gloria Steinem described her two years in India (1957-1958) as a "pivotal, life-dividing event" that "made me who I am."
- Her travels provided an escape from a planned marriage and an early experience with illegal abortion, solidifying her belief in reproductive control for women's autonomy.
- Upon arrival, she encountered Asian poverty, lived at Miranda House, and immersed herself in student life, adopting the sari as daily dress.
- Steinem met key figures like Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Indira Gandhi, and attended a Radical Humanist study camp, learning that "radical" means "going to the root."
- Her travels, especially third-class train journeys with women and engagement with villagers after caste violence, taught her the importance of listening and understanding before offering solutions.
- She connected her Indian experiences with feminist "consciousness-raising" groups and stated that her later organizing across America was "just a western version of walking in villages."
- The cover of Ms. magazine's spring 1972 preview issue, featuring the Hindu goddess Kali, was inspired by her "Indian past."