Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India
Culture, Identity and Politics
- Badri Narayan - Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad
Introduction to Women’s Studies
While demonstrating how myths and memories of the role of Dalits in India's freedom struggle are employed for identity construction and reconstructed for political mobilization, this book
- Narrates some of the tales used to develop political consciousness at the grass-roots level
- Reveals how stories—picked up from among the people themselves—are reinterpreted, packaged, and disseminated orally and via pamphlets
- Describes how gods, heroes, and other cultural resources of each caste are converted into political capital by giving them a visual image through calendars, statues, posters, and memorials
- Shows how the BSP creates and recreates historical material to expand its electoral base
Based on field studies and secondary information, the author outlines the politics of dissent which uses historical and cultural resources as identity markers in political mobilization. This book, therefore, becomes invaluable for students of politics, sociology and history and all those engaged in Dalit studies.
The community-wise examination of the evolution of Dalit consciousness in UP…makes this well-researched and elucidated tome so valuable.
Rising assertiveness of Dalit castes is widespread today and this book offers valuable insights, which help in understanding this phenomenon.
The slim volume embraces a surprisingly wide range of issues that can serve as potential entry points to a nuanced exploration of the categories of culture, identities, community codes and nationhood…. Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India examines intricate academic issues with an assumed ease.