Talking of Power

Early Writings of Bengali Women
1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-93-81345-81-8
Verlag: SAGE Publications

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 260 g

‘Around the middle of the nineteenth century, a social category was born in Bengal, along with a new word that named it: lekhika or the female author.’—Tanika Sarkar, Foreword

These writings, translated for the first time from Bengali, form a path-breaking collection of issues that aimed at the empowerment of women and thus remain alive today. The women were the first to receive a ‘modern’ education, and became members of the reading and writing public that hitherto was entirely male. The writers came from urban elite backgrounds, most from Brahmo Samaj families, many comparatively unknown today like Bamasundari Devi or Kumudini Mitra as well as more famous ones from the Tagore family—Swarnakumari Devi and her daughters. Some were Hindus like Kailashbasini Devi and Krishnabhabini Das, among others. There are also two Muslim women writers—the brilliant Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and the social reformer Khairunnissa Khatun.

The articles cover a whole range of social issues: social powerlessness, domestic management, the Swadeshi movement, what to wear outside the house when leaving seclusion, and financial independence. Writing for the new journals that came up as vernacular print media was expanding. Making their way into the literary world, the women opened up new roles for themselves and their successors.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bhattacharya, Malini

Sen, Abhijit

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword by Tanika Sarkar
Acknowledgements
Introduction - Malini Bhattacharya
What Are the Superstitions That Must Be Removed for the Betterment of Our Country? - Bamasundari Devi
The Woeful Plight of Hindu Women - Kailashbasini Devi
A Letter - Kusumkumari Devi
The Modern Age and the Modern Woman - Saratkumari Chaudhurani
A Terrible Problem - Girindramohini Dasi
Independence and Subjugation in Women’s Lives - Krishnabhabini Das
How to Establish Amity among the Different Communities in Bengal - Anindita Devi
Women’s Dress - Hemantakumari Chaudhuri
What Women Should Do When the Motherland Is in Distress - Kumudini Mitra
The Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge - Kamini Roy
The Worship of Women - Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
Proposal: A Women’s Arts Association - Hiranmoyee Devi
Patriotism - Khairunnissa Khatun
On the Use of Footwear by Women in Ancient India - Jagadishwari Devi
Words from Times Past - Swarnakumari Devi
My Life Changes Track - Sarala Devi Chaudhuran
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Bhattacharya, Malini
Malini Bhattacharya is an author, scholar, translator, playwright and activist in the women’s movement. She retired as Professor of English and former Director, School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University. She was a Member of Parliament, CPIM, 1989–1996.

Sen, Abhijit
Abhijit Sen, fomer Publication Officer, School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University.