Women in India: A Social and Cultural History, Volume 2

Are Indian women powerful mother goddesses, or domestic handmaidens trailing behind men in literacy, wages, opportunities, and rights? Have they been agents of their own destinies, or voiceless victims of patriarchy? Behind these colorful over-simplifications lies the reality of many feminine personas belonging to various classes, ethnicities, religions, and castes. This two-volume set looks at Indian history from ancient to modern times, revealing precisely why ideas of gender rights were not static across eras or regions. Raman's work is a reflection on the various ways in which women in a non-Western culture have developed and expressed their own feminist agenda. Individual chapters highlight the enduring legacies of many important male and female figures, illustrating how each played a key role in modifying the substance of women's lives. Political movements are examined as well, such as the nationalist reform movement of 1947 in which the ideal of Indian womanhood became central to the nation and the push for independence. Also included is a survey of women in contemporary India and the role they played in the resurgence of militant Hindu nationalism. Aside from being an engaging and readable narrative of Indian history, this set integrates women's issues, roles, and achievements into the general study of the times, providing a clear presentation of the social, cultural, religious, political, and economic realities that have helped shape the identity of Indian women. COVER......Page 1 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 8 PREFACE......Page 10 TEXT, CONTEXT, AND RE-CREATED TEXTS......Page 12 Exotic, Colonial Accounts of Sexual Mores......Page 14 SHAKTI, SAINT, OR SLAVE?......Page 17 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS......Page 18 NOTES......Page 19 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 22 INTRODUCTION......Page 24 Prophet and Women......Page 26 Female Inheritance Rights......Page 28 Polygamy, Divorce, and Wives......Page 29 Hijab or Pardah......Page 31 Settlement and Gender......Page 32 Sultan Raziyya (1236–40)......Page 33 Pardah Politics in the Delhi Sultanate......Page 35 Sultana Chand Bibi of Ahmadnagar......Page 37 Bridging Gendered Spaces......Page 38 Early Mughal Women......Page 39 Gulbadan Begam......Page 40 Politics and the Zenana......Page 41 Nur Jahan (1578–1645)......Page 43 Zenana Life......Page 45 Jahanara and Roshanara......Page 47 Zebunissa’s Rebellion......Page 49 Oriental Women through Western Eyes......Page 51 Sufi Traditions in North India......Page 53 Islam and Gender in South India......Page 55 Muslim Musicians, Poets, and Dancers......Page 56 NOTES......Page 57 COLONIALISM AND GENDER......Page 66 FEMALE PARADIGMS AND ROLES......Page 68 Widows and Property Rights......Page 69 Sikhism and Women......Page 71 Devadasis: From Temple to Court in South India......Page 72 Women Court Poets......Page 74 Philanthropic Queens......Page 75 Female Servitude: ‘‘Stri-Dharmapadhati’’......Page 76 Intermarriage Policy......Page 77 Gender, Sect, and Race in the Estado......Page 79 Portuguese Women Settlers in Goa......Page 81 Women in Multiethnic Goa......Page 82 Female Education and Rights in Goa......Page 84 Wars and Women’s Lives......Page 85 Colonial Rulers, Laws, and Indian Women......Page 86 A Dual Patriarchy: British Officials and Indian Reformers......Page 87 Girls in Indigenous Schools (Madras)......Page 89 Missionaries and Girls’ Education......Page 90 Government Girls’ Schools......Page 92 Educating Devadasis......Page 94 Sati Regulation Act of Bengal (1829)......Page 95 Reformer Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833)......Page 97 Sati Myths in the West and East......Page 100 Widow Remarriage Act (1856)......Page 101 Working Women......Page 103 Indenture and Gender......Page 104 Women Workers in India......Page 106 Eurasians: Maternal Indian Ancestry......Page 109 NOTES......Page 112 Introduction......Page 124 Male Reformers after 1860......Page 125 Motherland and Mothers of the Nation......Page 126 Female Education......Page 128 Devadasis and Widows......Page 129 Pandita Ramabai and Other Early Women Reformers......Page 131 B. M. Malabari: Persuasion or Laws?......Page 132 Rakhmabai and Age of Consent Bill (1891)......Page 133 REFORM ASSOCIATIONS AND WOMEN......Page 134 Arya Samaj: Girls’ Schools and Female Sexuality......Page 135 Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi......Page 137 Vivekananda and Women’s Rights......Page 138 Sister Nivedita (1867–1911)......Page 139 Theosophical Society, Annie Besant, and Women......Page 140 Assessment of Male Reformers......Page 142 Women’s Schooling and Pardah......Page 144 Muslim Laws for Women (Twentieth Century)......Page 147 Nation and Sect: Muslim Women and Politics......Page 149 NOTES......Page 150 SISTERS, MATRIARCHS, WIVES, AND WIDOWS......Page 158 Savitribai Phule (1831–97)......Page 161 Pandita Ramabai Saraswati (1858–1922)......Page 162 Life and Achievements......Page 163 Tarabai Shinde (ca. 1850–1910)......Page 166 Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932)......Page 167 Sister Subbalakshmi (1886–1969)......Page 169 WOMEN WRITERS......Page 170 Swarnakumari Devi......Page 171 Kripabai Sattianadhan......Page 172 Journal Writers......Page 173 SUFFRAGISTS AND NATIONALISTS......Page 174 Social Service......Page 176 Women’s Suffrage: WIA and AIWC......Page 177 Child Marriage and Age of Consent......Page 179 Feminist Solidarity......Page 180 Gandhi, Women, and Kasturba......Page 182 Women Activists after Jallianwala Bagh......Page 185 Women Satyagrahis: Salt March (1930) and Quit India Movement (1942)......Page 187 Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949)......Page 190 Muthulakshmi Reddi (1886–1968)......Page 192 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya (1903–88)......Page 194 Activist and Writer......Page 195 Bhikaiji Cama......Page 197 Lakshmi Sahgal and the Indian National Army......Page 198 Independence and Partition......Page 199 Partition......Page 200 NOTES......Page 202 IDEALS AND REALITIES......Page 212 Sex Ratio and Violence to Women......Page 214 Domestic Violence......Page 217 Education......Page 218 Employment......Page 220 Democratic Idealism and National Realities......Page 223 Hindu Code Bill and Implications for Women......Page 224 Women Politicians......Page 226 Women’s Reservation Bill......Page 230 Class and Gender......Page 231 Chipko Movement......Page 233 Narmada Bachao Andolan and Medha Patkar......Page 234 NOTABLE WOMEN IN THE ARTS......Page 235 CONCLUSION......Page 239 NOTES......Page 240 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY......Page 248 INDEX......Page 272 ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 278 "Are Indian women powerful mother goddesses, or domestic handmaidens trailing behind men in literacy, wages, opportunities, and rights? Have they been agents of their own destinies, or voiceless victims of patriarchy? Behind these coloful over-simplifications lies the reality of many feminine personas belonging to various classes, ethnicities, religions, and castes. This two-volume set looks at Indian history from ancient to modern times, revealing precisely why ideas of gender rights were not static across eras or regions. Raman's work is a reflection on the various ways in which women in a non-western culture have developed and expressed their own feminist agenda. Individual chapters highlight the enduring legacies of many important male and female figures, illustrating how each played a key role in modifying the substance of women's lives. Political movements are examined as well, such as the nationalist reform movement of 1947 in which the ideal of Indian womanhood became central to the nation and the push for independence. Also included is a survey of women in contemporary India and the role they played in the resurgence of militant Hindu nationalism. Aside from being an engaging and readable narrative of Indian history, this set integrates women's issues, roles, and achievements into the general study of the times, providing a clear presentation of the social, cultural, religious, political, and economic realities that have helped shape the identity of Indian women."--Publisher's description