Despite a large body of literature investigating the impact of self-help groups (SHGs) on women, less detailed attention has been paid to the complicated relationship between SHGs and politics, beyond political ‘awareness’. Based on qualitative on the ground research in West Bengal, this article shows that the relationship between politics and SHGs is highly complex, since political involvement in SHGs can create conflict and division in communities but also can provide unique opportunities for women. By drawing on theories of social exclusion and feminist literature on the public/private binary, this article argues that politics is critical in understanding how SHGs operate, particularly the way in which political exclusion through SHGs fuels ostracisation and conflict in communities.

中文翻译：

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自助团体和政治：复杂的关系

尽管有大量文献调查自助团体（SHG）对女性的影响，但除了政治“意识”之外，对自助团体与政治之间复杂关系的关注较少。基于对西孟加拉邦实地研究的定性研究，本文表明政治与 SHG 之间的关系非常复杂，因为政治参与 SHG 可能会造成社区冲突和分裂，但也可以为妇女提供独特的机会。通过借鉴社会排斥理论和关于公共/私人二元的女权主义文献，本文认为政治对于理解 SHG 如何运作至关重要，特别是通过 SHG 进行的政治排斥加剧社区排斥和冲突的方式。