Viragos and Pariahs: India’s Women
Viragos and Pariahs: India’s Women
Author(s): Reghina Dascăl Subject(s): Gender Studies
Published by: Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara
Keywords: virago; amazon; goddess; sakti; widows; child marriage; foeticide
Summary/Abstract: The paper attempts to document an unsettling paradox inherent in Indian history and culture: the feminine is worshipped and deified on an imaginative level, while real women are disparaged, the most egregious forms of indignity being inflicted upon them in real life. The paper will also illustrate how India exemplifies the possible coexistence of formidable manifestations of female empowerment on the one hand, and of murderous neglect of women’s needs and rights, on the other.
Journal: Gender Studies
- Issue Year: 2011
- Issue No: 10
- Page Range: 155-176
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
