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Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Reclaiming The Margins: A Feminist Reading of Dalit Women's Voices in Contemporary Indian Literature

Authors: Jagtap, Vrushali Ranjit; Gadekar, Sachin Namdeo;

Reclaiming The Margins: A Feminist Reading of Dalit Women's Voices in Contemporary Indian Literature

Abstract

This research paper explores the intersection of caste and gender through a feminist reading of contemporary Indian Dalit women's literature. By focusing on seminal texts such as Karukku by Bama and The Weave of My Life by Urmila Pawar, the study aims to uncover how Dalit women narrate their lived experiences of marginalization, resistance, and identity formation within a deeply patriarchal and caste-stratified society. Employing intersectional feminist theory and subaltern studies as its critical framework, the paper analyzes narrative voice, linguistic choices, and themes of trauma, silence, and empowerment. Methodologically, the study adopts close textual analysis supported by secondary critical literature to highlight how these autobiographical and semi-autobiographical works resist both upper-caste literary hegemony and mainstream feminist silencing. The findings reveal that Dalit women’s literature functions not merely as testimonial writing but as a potent form of social and political assertion. This paper underscores the necessity of acknowledging caste within feminist discourse and argues for the inclusion of Dalit women’s narratives in the broader literary canon to truly democratize literary studies and cultural representation.

Keywords

Dalit Literature, Feminist Criticism, Intersectionality, Marginalized Voices, Subaltern Studies, Indian Women Writers

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
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