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Dalit Women - Narratives of Vulnerability Violence and a Culture of Impunity

Journal of International Women’s Studies

Volume 23,
Issue 6 7th World Conference on Women’s
Studies Special Issue: Transnational
Feminisms–Contexts, Collaborations,
Contestations: Toward a Liveable Planet

Article, 7 M

May 2022

Bhushan Sharma

Video: Dalit Women (We are not untouchable - End caste discrimination now)

Recommended Citation Sharma, Bhushan (2022). Dalit Women: Narratives of Vulnerability, Violence, and a Culture of Impunity. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 23(6). Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol23/iss6/7

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1. Abstract

By Bhushan Sharma¹

Abstract

India, a mosaic of ethnic, religious, linguistic, and social factions, exhibits unity in diversity. As a result, Indian women come from diverse cultures, terrains, religions, and classes. They perform diverse social roles and have varied lived experiences, which augment assorted issues. Consequently, a review of the literature on Indian feminism highlights its complicacy. Mukhopadhyay (2016) explains that Indian feminism, which was primarily initiated by men (Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phule, and others) mainly focussed on the abolition of evil practices like Sati, Purdah, polygamy, child marriage, illiteracy, and the rest. The concept of “Intersectionality” and intersectional oppression was neither known nor understood hence not represented by Indian feminists. In such a situation, adhering to the maxim ‘Personal is Political,’ it became the duty of the women, whose gender intersects with caste to represent their unique lived experiences. This paper attempts to gain insight into the world of Dalit women through the exploration of their select writings. P. Sivakami’s The Grip of Change, Bama’s Sangati, and Meena Kandaswami’s poetry anthology Touch are used as literary study tools. The study demonstrates how the narratives of Dalit women provide a unique concept of “Indian intersectionality,” where their social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and disadvantage making them vulnerable to violence. The study may help us to understand approaches to the prevention of violence against Dalit women.

Keywords: Caste, gender, intersectionality, vulnerability, violence, silence, impunity, Dalit women, India, feminism

¹ Dr. Bhushan Sharma is an Independent Researcher, Ph.D., Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (J&K- India). She has edited the Special Issue, “Casteing Gender: Intersectional Oppression of Dalit Women” in the Journal of International Women’s Studies and has published research articles and book reviews in SCI, Scopus, and UGC journals. Sharma has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences and has Chaired Sessions at TIIKM conferences. She is interested in Women’s Studies, Indian writings in English, and Marginalized literature. Email id: [email protected].