Heba al-Adawy
Heba Al-Adawy, MPhil (Oxon), is a Research Analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: Feminism, Indian Woman, Oriental woman, salvation, Western woman, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, nationalism ,communalism ,South Asia, Nirbhaya, militarism
Abstract
It is no surprise that the recovery from colonial epistemologies has been a major preoccupation of feminist thought in South Asia — namely in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But even as the universalizing tendency of ‘liberal feminism’ has come under criticism — not only on a global scale with regard to East-West encounters but also domestically across class divides — the rise of nationalism and the associated menace of communalism and religious fundamentalism have posed new challenges for feminist movements in South Asia. In a similar vein today, one can observe how the gendered space in South Asia frequently finds itself hostage to secular-national as well as religious politics. This phenomenon has been particularly evident in multi-ethnic India, where the agenda of gender equality has been hijacked, alternately, by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the secular Congress in a bid to score greater electoral success across Hindu and Muslim constituencies. India serves as a predominant case study in the paper, with occasional comparative glances on neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh. Adding to the complexity of secular/religious politics in India is the caste-based structure of its society. On the latest front in India, the bestial gang rape and murder of a 23- year-old girl in New Delhi on 16 December 2012 has reopened a vigorous debate on gender-based violence and the broader issue of women’s status in society. The incident is referred to as Nirbhaya (the “Fearless One”), a reference to the young girl who eventually died in a hospital in Singapore. Nirbhaya soon became a symbol around which the rights of women could be rallied. This paper examines contemporary feminist interventions in India with an eye towards common regional challenges and prospects. After providing the history of women’s movements in the subcontinent, the paper examines the ways politicized religion, communalism and militarism have affected feminist interventions in the legal and social realms, the recent upsurge of feminist activity against gender-based violence in the aftermath of Nirbhaya, the agenda of countering sexual violence towards women, and the implications post-Nirbhaya.
First Published
March 25, 2014
How to Cite
Heba al-Adawy, “The Spark of ‘Nirbhaya’: Indian Feminist Interventions, Common Challenges and Prospects,” Regional Studies 32, no.2 (Spring 2014): 72-94, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/the-spark-of-nirbhaya-indian-feminist-interventions-common-challenges-and-prospects/
Issue
Volume 32, Issue 2