Caste as WomanA stimulating original assessment of the Indian woman today. Where does the contemporary Indian woman stand today? In what manner does she reflect the influences, insidious and overt, of cultural and historical conditioning? Is there such a thing as a 'typical' Indian woman? If so, what are her centers of conflict and harmony? What is the present-day reality in terms of progress, the break-up of the joint family, the role of the woman as a wage-earner? Does she find herself leading a life of contradictions? The issues dealt with in this illuminating book are those that connect female awareness and its struggle against patriarchy with specific Indian situations and problems. Indian religious texts and shastras are used to reinforce the argument that gender in many ways has become a curious equalizer with respect to Indian women even though the conventional caste-structure continues to dominate social operations. |
Contents
Our Women Their Women | 1 |
GauriKanyakāKumari | 42 |
Vivāha Marriage | 97 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
accepted allegedly argued argument become bell hooks Bombay born Brāhmaṇa Brahmin bride Caste As Woman Chapter clearly conditioned contemporary cultures daughter Delhi dowry Draupadi earlier exploitation fact Faludi father Female Eunuch Feminine Mystique feminism feminist forms freedom fundamental gender girl girl-child global Hindu husband ideology implicit implies Indian context Indian society Indian women individual infanticide innumerable insistence Janābāi jāti Kane large number Mahabharata Maharashtra male Manu Marathi marriage married Mehta menstruating menstruating woman middle class Moreover mother motherhood Muslim myth oppression Papanek patriarchal poem popular consciousness practice present-day purdah questionable Rāma Rāmāyaṇa rape rationalize Rāvana referred regarded remains ritual role Roop Kanwar Sastras sati scepticism seen sexual significant Simone de Beauvoir Sītā smṛtis social spite status strictures symbols Taittiriya Samhita tradition Vedas Western widow wife wives women's issues women's movement world-view write to Penguin young