All-Asian Women's Conference
[3] Like the AIWC, the AAWC aimed to expand this agenda in order to include women in Asia's vision for independence.
[2] Invited delegates included Sarojini Naidu, Muthulakshmi Reddi, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Lady Abdul Qadir, Rani Lakshmibai Rajwade and Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji.
[2] Thirty Asian countries were invited to the AAWC, including Georgia, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Malaya, Indo-China, Siam and Hawaii.
These Presidents included Sirimavo Bandaranaike from Ceylon, Mrs. Kamal-ud-din from Afghanistan, Daw Mya Sein from Burma, Shirin Fozdar from Persia and Miss Hoshi from Japan.
The Rani of Mandi, daughter to ruler the Maharani of Kapurthala, laid the groundwork for the conference in her opening speech, as quoted below: "Living practically under identical conditions, sharing the good or ill effects of similar customs and traditions and cramped psychology, and actuated in an equal measure by a longing for a change for what may be described as the renaissance of the women of Asia, no organization existed for them to come together, to exchange ideas and devise measures for achieving their common aims and objects.
This Conference, I need scarcely point out, is designed to provide such a medium, a nucleus for the regeneration of our womankind on an intellectual bias.
[2] Delegates from countries such as Palestine, Pakistan, Russia, Nepal, and Syria completed the registration to attend but withdrew prior to the conference for multiple reasons such as illness, conflicts in schedules and denied visas.
Moreover, non-Asian women from countries such as the United States, New Zealand, Ireland, and Great Britain were also present as visitors.
Cousins believed that there was a lack of spiritual consciousness and a need for preservation of the "oriental" qualities of Asia and therefore Asian women must meet to become self-conscious.
She started sending out letters in December 1929 to propose her idea and persuade other women from India and various other parts of Asia to join her.
In the absence of Sarojini Naidu, Bandaranaike (Ceylon), Kamal-ud-din (Afghanistan), Oung (Burma), Fozdar (Persia) and Hoshi (Japan) presided over events in addition to two Indian women, Muthulakshmi Reddi and Shareefah Hamid Ali.
[2] There was no organization that provided room for Asian women from different countries to convene and discuss means of achieving common aims and objectives, despite having similar social contexts.
[2] They had an aim of changing the discourse regarding Asian womanhood and recreating images of "the Orient" by creating a "counterdiscourse to the feminist Orientalist.
"[5] The speakers at the conference highlighted the preconceived ideas of what constitutes as Asian womanhood such as peacefulness, devotion to one's family, obedience and so forth.
"[5] Honourable Sadar Sir Jogendra Singh, the Minister of Agriculture, expressed "I know of no parallel in the history of the world of such a movement as this Women's Conference representing the whole of Asia.
He believed in the common Asian history of civilization and embraced in his actions towards his objective of establishing India as the new center of pan-Asian unity.
[5] AAWC aimed to discuss the common social and political concerns of women in Asia as well as speak about the visions of pan-Asianism.
[5] AAWC was successful in passing a main resolution, which sought to gain support for the reform for equality of nationality rights for married women.
This resolution also helped Asian women to gain recognition from the West, by them acknowledging that Feminism is not exclusively European or American.
Other resolutions favoured free and primary compulsory education; abolition of child marriage; more money to be spent on health schemes; limited temperance schemes; to rescue adult and child from vice; to regulate labour conditions and to ensure equality of status for men and women.
When this alliance held its 12th congress in Istanbul in 1935, the Asian Committee sent a vocal delegation whose presence did not escape the attending press.
However, a second All Asia Women's Conference failed to materialize as many members, including the former host, India got busy with their domestic and international affairs.
