A Cartography of Resistance: The National Federation of Dalit Women*

Female narratives of ‘new’ citizens’ belonging(s) and identities in Europe: case studies from the Netherlands and Britain

“…Here, the focus is on a politically framed 'process of becoming' (Kannabiran 2006) implying that different national identities and realities are absorbed and could merge as a state of mind and being on its own (sui generis), which does not have a place with binary, either/or nationalities (Vieten 2006). In this case, agency refers to the "capacity to be reflexive about their situation -their 'discursive consciousness' -and to act upon it to make a difference" (Zanoni andJanssens (2007: 1376).…”

Biographies of Contributors

“…When possessing more than one identity, and assuming that "we" is constituted on the basis of suffering (Connolly 1996), which "we" becomes more important than the others? (Kannabiran 2006). While Kannabiran speaks of a response to the suffering that constitutes "we", the question I ask here is what happens when there are several "wes" in conflict?…”

“…I will look at feminist organizing in India, historically, attempting in the process to draw connections between late nineteenth and early twentieth century struggles, and struggles in contemporary India. The politics of alliance, belonging and becoming inform this reflection, as does the history of contemporary feminist organizing in India (Kannabiran 2006(Kannabiran , 1997. The idea of a feminist revolution is a difficult notion to explore.…”

“…However, the complex intersection of caste and gender, marked by colonial discourses that redefined caste and gender relations, posed further complexities to the expression of difference. While low caste groups and federations demanded an equal treatment of their oppression on the lines of racism, lower caste women paradoxically defined their oppression as three fold, as women against men of their own caste, as Dalit women against men of higher castes and as poor women carrying out often difficult, low paid and inferior work (Kannabiran 2006;Rao 2003). While feminists have also demanded for the recognition of caste as a racial issue, their demands are specific to the double hierarchies and patriarchies suffered by lower caste women who have much in common with black American women (Kannabiran 2006;Bandhu 2003).…”

“…While low caste groups and federations demanded an equal treatment of their oppression on the lines of racism, lower caste women paradoxically defined their oppression as three fold, as women against men of their own caste, as Dalit women against men of higher castes and as poor women carrying out often difficult, low paid and inferior work (Kannabiran 2006;Rao 2003). While feminists have also demanded for the recognition of caste as a racial issue, their demands are specific to the double hierarchies and patriarchies suffered by lower caste women who have much in common with black American women (Kannabiran 2006;Bandhu 2003). Despite the fact that historically Dalit activists were the forerunners in critiquing gender based hierarchies, Dalit women's claim to a different voice based on their marginalisation within the larger Dalit movements as also in subaltern studies (Guru 1995) brought the critique of gender a full circle with critical reflections focussed on patriarchal structures and forms of organisation.…”