Marie Michael Library

Gender, politics and identity at times of crisis: the agitations around sati-daha in India

Kumar, Radhar

This paper analyses widow immolation by looking at its political, economic and historical context. Recurring trends from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as economic depression, political and social readjustment, are examined. The common rhetoric of pitting tradition against modernity, as well as the expanding women's, feminist movement are explored.