Irishwoman plays key role in Indian Freedom Struggle

Irish feminist and suffragette, Margaret Cousins, campaigned for women’s rights on two continents in the early 20th century. Her story will be outlined at a special seminar at DCU.

Dr Jyoti Atwal of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, will chart Margaret's multifaceted journey from a Dublin suffragette to a political prisoner for Indian independence in India in a special lunchtime seminar on Monday 15 April in DCU. 

Born in Co. Roscommon, Margaret was active in the women’s suffrage movement in Ireland and England in the first two decades of the 20th century.

She accompanied her husband, James Cousins, to the south of India in 1915 at the age of 37.

Margaret launched the Women’s Indian Association within two years of her arrival. This was supported by the Theosophical Society, an organisation which studies systems of esoteric philosophy.

She became the first woman magistrate of India in 1923.

A few years later in 1928 she founded the first 'All-India Women Conference', which is still active today with over 1.5 million members and over 500 branches. 

From 1932 to 1933 Margaret spent one year in jail as a punishment for defying a British ordinance. 

After her release, Margaret continued to campaign for women's rights and in 1938 was elected President of the All-India Women's Conference

Margaret was also offered the task of giving musical notes to the English version of the national song of India by the legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore, as she had been awarded a degree in music in Dublin.

She was also an associate of Gandhi, and was given a cash reward by Jawaharlal Nehru as a recognition of her role in freedom struggle.  

Speaker biography 

Dr. Jyoti Atwal is a historian at the School of Social Sciences in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. 

She is currently completing writing the biography of Margaret Cousins. She has travelled across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to collect material and will discuss these research experiences in the seminar.    

Event details

Monday 15 April 2013, 13:00 - 14:30

An Irish Woman in the Indian Freedom Struggle: The Case of Margaret Cousins (1878-1954)

Venue: Seminar Room in Invent, DCU

This guest lecture is organised by DCU SALIS (School of Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies) and the Ireland India Institute

All welcome. No need to register.