Why Kali Won’t Rage: A Critique of Indian Feminism.

Abstract

Two unique factors distinguish Indian feminism from the feminism in the west. One, it rejects the notion of a deep-rooted, tradition-fed, gender hierarchy in India, defined, dominated and exploited by men. Secondly – it does not ascribe the abysmal state of women in India to longstanding patriarchal oppression, and hence sees no reason to rage against it. While to western feminists, these factors might seem oddly perplexing, there is within Indian feminism a rationalization of these outlooks. Their argument is that what may seem to be a gender hierarchy to westerners, is simply regarded as cultural observances by Indians. They further argue that because of the tradition of goddess worship, Indian men are more attuned to the idea of women in power, and that unlike the west, in India, men too have historically participated in the women’s rights movement. This paper argues that the ground reality of the state of women in India today, or indeed even historically, does not support this perspective. It also asks the question why this perspective might have evolved in the Indian women’s movement, and takes a historical, sociological and psychological view of possible explanations. Finally, the paper asserts that the Indian feminist movement has a responsibility to gravely introspect on its position and approach so far, and urgently contemplate a new approach and plan of action on challenging India into becoming a more gender-just and humane nation. It also makes a few suggestions on some of the issues that specifically need to be focused on.