‘The so-called prostitute, the Tamasha woman, were looked upon as dishonourable because they threatened Dalit radicalism,’ said US-based professor and author Shailaja Paik on a recent visit to Delhi.
Despite being banned, the devadasi system still traps tens of thousands of Dalit women in Karnataka. A new survey and state law target both caste oppression and sex work stigma.
In village after village in the Malwa region, Dalit women have won the right to farm common land. They are now protesting and courting arrest to demand a new casteless settlement: Begumpura.
The MacArthur Fellowship of $800,000 awards Shailaja Paik for her pioneering scholarship focusing on the intersection of Dalit studies, gender, and sexuality in modern India.
Indhumathi won panchayat election in Tamil Nadu's Nayakaneri village 3 yrs ago, but her election has been fiercely opposed by communities who feel seat should be reserved for STs.
In ‘Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence’, Joanna Bourke provides a global history of social violence from date rape in America to Caste-based violence in India.
In 'Her Stories: Indian Women Down the Ages’, Deepti Priya Mehrotra recounts women from Indian history whose contributions have been all but forgotten.
Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.
COMMENTS