The politics of the marginalised: dalits and women’s activism in India

Overview

The assertion of Dalit interests has posed new challenges for the women’s movement in India, which has been criticised for its lack of engagement with Dalit women and their interests. Some women’s activists have begun to respond to this critique. Yet this article argues that caste identity still determines the place that women activists – upper caste and Dalit – are given by villagers in their fieldwork and within women’s organisations. The article also explores how Dalit women are using their caste identity, alongside their identity as village-level activists, to further their interests beyond the realm of women’s activism. By doing so, they are celebrating their personal experiences as political.

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