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Distinctive Voices of Distress and Narratives of Sufferings: A Study of Dalit Women’s Writings
Author
Parveen Kumari
Specifications
  • ISBN 13 : 9789388859806
  • year : 2019
  • language : English
  • binding : Hardbound
Description
Dalits have remained a mistreated lot and among them Dalit women are “Dalits among Dalits” the most uncared for and unrecognized human beings. They are ‘subalterns among subalterns’. A Dalit woman besides sharing deprivations with Dalit man has to further bear the tortures of the patriarchal social order. Justice is denied to them on all fronts by: upper caste people, patriarchy, society and law. Therefore, Dalit women have found a novel way to show resistance against oppression. Dalit women articulate their life experiences through narratives so that other people get acquainted with the pain and sufferings of these marginal voices as a counter discourse in the public space. Dalit women are using life narratives as a medium for self-expression, to raise voice of protest against the injustice, inequalities and difficulties they have to bear on ac­count of their caste, class and gender. Through life narratives these women depict subjective experiences that have changed their lives besides reflecting on the painful experiences of marginalization and articulating their resistance against oppression both in the public and the private space to negotiate new identities for themselves. These life narratives not only help in recovering narrators’ ‘self’ but also act as a source of “comfort to many who have been brought low” and suffer because of discrimination, untouchability, poverty, and destitution. Writing about their experiences has given Dalit women “courage and helped them to love life once more.” These life stories are the source of inspiration to women at large and to Dalit women in particular to fight back the subjugation and stop being a victim.