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A woman’s place Gendered citizenship:
Historical and Conceptual Explorations
In her complex theoretical exposition of divergent conceptual positions, historical as well as contemporary, Roy points to a paradox in the nature of citizenship: in specific historic contexts, the citizen is an exclusive category epitomizing hegemonic socio-economic forces but the idea of citizenship is because it has been extended to include hitherto deprived groups. Conscious of the contradictory nature of citizenship and seeing the diversities as historically emerged ‘diachronous strands,’ the author underlines the necessity of understanding these strands in their historical context. The contemporary valorisation of human rights and cultural rights of communities as against the nation, argues Roy, places an onerous burden on women of upholding community honour and traditions at the expense of personal freedom of movement, sexual expression and earning a livelihood .These issues lead us to the cutting edge of the book—the unravelling of the relationship between gender and citizenship, particularly the manner in which citizenship has remained inimical to women and placed them on the margins. Roy takes us back to the 19th century colonial India where, ‘women were constructed ideologically through exclusionary cultural symbols within the context of anti-colonial movements’.These exclusions around caste, class and race, led to a homogenised and hegemonised universal identity centred on a newly constructed image of the ideal Hindu woman. This ‘new Indian woman’ emerged as ‘the sustainer and producer of the nation' while making it impregnable to foreign domination. Certain middle class women, unable to reconcile themselves to the assigned ‘contributive’ role, did however articulate alternative positions which Roy brings out in detail. Imagery connecting the family with the community and the nation is particularly important here. Granting of equal rights to women citizens has also involved a new equation between women and the nation state, where the inability to address the people’s ‘radical aspirations’ has led to a tension ‘between the concept of citizenship in the Constitution and the hegemonic project of nation-building seeking to define citizenship in exclusionary terms’ In the clash between the two competing identities, national-political and religious—cultural, gender has often provided the grounds on which this contest is played. Roy has explicated the different aspects of this predicament with examples of Roop Kanwar’s Sati , the Shah Bano case, Muslim Women’s Bill, the anti-Mandal agitation, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, etc. What counts ultimately, as Roy stresses, is the women’s own lived experiences in negotiating and grappling with the pressures of competing identities. Roy’s counsel would include a commitment to dialogue and a contextually sensitive understanding of the ground realities of the politics of the possible. In terms of political predisposition, Roy’s preference is for reinscribing the national imagery on secular lines. Pro-poor, pro-Dalits, pro-minorities, and anti-upper caste –Hindu hegemonic tendencies (as epitomised by Hindutva) would appear to characterise Roy’s preferred agenda for a gender-just citizenship, which would ideally combine democracy with liberatory practice. Finally, there is a minor
expression of regret. The book may have perhaps had a wider appeal than
the restricted network of academia, but for its inability to free itself
from the thesis format which shrouds its originality under a mass of
quotations. |
Anupama Roy’s work Gendered
Citizenship: Historical and conceptual explorations engages the
readers at two levels. While the first generally constitutes an
interesting and thought-provoking addition to the academic literature on
citizenship; the second is specifically of interest to Indian readers
since it provides an account of little-known facets of women’s diverse
engagements with the polity, both in colonial and contemporary India.