Dalit Women

One of the only ethnographic studies of Dalit women, this book gives a rich account of individual Dalit womens lives and documents a rise in patriarchy in the community. The author argues that as Dalits economic and political position improves, honour becomes crucial to social status. One of the ways Dalits accrue honour is by altering patterns of womens work, education and marriage, and by adopting dominant-caste gender practices. But Dalits are not simply becoming like upper castes; they are simultaneously asserting a distinct, politicised Dalit identity, formed in direct opposition to the dominant castes. They are developing their own politics of culture. Key to both, the author argues, is the respectability of women. This has significant effects on gender equality in the Dalit community.