Gender Governance in Frontier Universities: Ethnographic Insights from Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

This article examines the emergence, institutionalisation and lived functioning of gender governance mechanisms at Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), Arunachal Pradesh. It conceptualised RGU as a Frontier University shaped by processes of state formation, regional histories and local social hierarchies. Drawing on long-term participant observation, interviews and archival materials, it analyses the functioning of institutional mechanisms such as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The analysis highlights how institutional responses to gender-based complaints are shaped not only by legal mandates but also by social hierarchies, affective dynamics and organisational constraints. Through case studies, the article demonstrates how ambiguity in procedures, discretionary governance and insider-outsider distinctions influence both the articulation and resolution of complaints. It further reveals how gender norms are deeply embedded in the larger patriarchal structure and reproduced in everyday institutional practices. The findings reveal that gender governance in RGU operates through a layered and negotiated terrain, where centralised institutional mandates intersect with local sociocultural dynamics, producing uneven outcomes.