Widows in India : Issues of Masculinity and Women's Sexuality

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

While recent studies and contemporary films have focused on the plight of widows in India, very little has addressed the myriad ways in which women’s lives are circumscribed through cultural controls over sexuality. This paper highlights that the defining of women’s identity primarily through sexuality is not just about patriarchal control, but also historically perpetuates and legitimizes masculine power and masculinity over women. The condition of widows, then, follows from multiple social forces and traditions that define and perpetuate a ritualized masculinity, which are complex and difficult to overcome.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Current Situation
• Theoretical Framework: The Intersection of Familial and Ritualized Masculinity
• Caste as Protector of Women’s Sexuality and Men’s Masculinity
• Marriage: Interplay of Men’s Masculinity and its Control over Women’s Sexuality
• The Widow’s Sexuality: Constant Threat through History
• Ancient Texts: Women’s Sexuality and Men’s Masculinity
• Widows in Pre-Independence Literature/ Nationalism
• Examples from Literature
• Films: Water and White Rainbow
• Conclusion
• Notes
• References

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