In this post, I shall be summarising my thoughts on Uma Chakraborty's Gendering Caste Through a Feminist Lens. The first chapter largely lays the the basis for the conceptual understanding of caste and its intersections with class and gender, even though they may be different analytical frameworks with which one looks at society. The conception of the caste system as being merely based on an understanding of pollution and purity lacks nuance as it does not account for the different kinds of exploitation and subordination one has to go through on account of being a member of a lower caste denomination. Caste as a structure is deeply entrenched in Indian society, and the structure remains intact due to the historical monopolisation of knowledge, wealth and resources (that continues to this day) as well as the routine use of violence. Thus, caste effectively enables us to study components of class as well. In the Indian context, caste and class also aid to a unique understanding of gender relations that is quite contrasted with the rest of the world. Endogamy plays an important role in governing female sexuality and preserving the institution of caste. In reality, it often plays out as the phenomenon of arranged marriage. Marriage thus is a form of regulating gender relations and female sexuality and interactions. Concepts of purity and pollution are used to analyse the institution of marriage to highlight the subordination of women in a marriage. The concept of Brahminical patriarchy is thus unique to India as it prescribes a set of rules and roles men and women are to follow, specifically women in a marriage. In the Indian context, understandings of gender would remain incomplete if it were not analysed with caste and class dimensions as well.
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