Shivani Mody Week 3

Gendering Caste Through a Feminist Lens 

Uma Chakraborty, draws a nexus between caste and gender, illustrating the effect that this unique combination has to the status of Indian women. In addition to this, class hierarchy is another filter through which we need to understand the way that privileges and disadvantages are accessed. Knowledge, became a primary tool for ensuring constant subordination of lower castes as well as women. Knowledge became the exclusive right of Brahmins, and the knowledge belonging to other groups was often dismissed or overlooked. When this was sufficient, violence, though not always overt became a way asserting caste and class hierarchies. This is most visible in the account of Gargi, who was silenced by threats of violence for displaying a certain amount of wit. In addition to this, Brahmanical patriarchy, uses the tool of marriage to particularly control female sexuality. Endogamy and other restrictions of marriage are seen as a way of maintaining and solidifying caste hierarchies and purity. Deviation from the norm is heavily punished, as it seen to affect descent. Marriage is thus linked to belief and ritual, which allows for women to be particularly disadvantaged. Expectations of virginity and practices such as kanyadaan, restrict women’s sexual agency. Thus caste, class and gender create a uniquely Indian intersectionality that needs to be analysed in the given context.