FEMINIST MOVEMENTS IN INDIA

A Study of Stree Sangharsh, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Vimochana, and Saheli

Authors

  • Tanima Kumari Indian School of Mines
  • Rajni Singh Indian School of Mines
  • Soumya Mohan Ghosh Indian School of Mines

Keywords:

Feminist Activism, Feminist Historiography, Bhaginivarg, Feminine Genius

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt at feminist historiography that revisits the role of post 1970s women organizations, specifically focusing on Stree Sangharsh, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Vimochana, and Saheli. Indian women adopted the mechanism of 'gendered resistance' against the vilified society in various anti-patriarchal agitations, like antialcohol and anti-price rise movements, campaigns against sati, dowry, and rape, and campaigned to raise the consciousness of women towards their rights through protest march, legislative debate, street theatre and other interactive modes. Analyzing activist feminist movements juxtaposed with theorizations, the paper concludes with the Indian feminists' attempt to create feminist solidarity of bhaginivarg (sisterhood) as posited by Padma Anagol, which resounds bell hooks'idea of sisterhood.

Author Biographies

Tanima Kumari, Indian School of Mines

Tanima Kumari is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, with research interests in Gender Studies, African-American Poetry, Indian English Poetry, Literary Theory and Postcolonial Studies.

Rajni Singh, Indian School of Mines

Dr Rajni Singh, Associate Professor of English at Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, has areas of interest in Contemporary Literary Theory, Contemporary Indian English Fiction, Literature of Indian Diaspora, Gender Studies, and Professional Communication. She has published articles in reputed Journals and authored two books on T.S. Eliot and edited two books on Indian Writing in English.

Soumya Mohan Ghosh, Indian School of Mines

Soumya Mohan Ghosh is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. Besides publications in the national and international journals, he has translated short stories of Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay into English.

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Published

2016-06-30

How to Cite

Kumari, T., Singh, R., & Mohan Ghosh, S. (2016). FEMINIST MOVEMENTS IN INDIA: A Study of Stree Sangharsh, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Vimochana, and Saheli. Journal of Dharma, 41(2), 181–200. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/jd/article/view/378