Muslim women in colonial North India circa 1920-1947 : politics, law and community identity
This dissertation explores the relationship between gender and Muslim community identity in late colonial India. It pursues two broad themes. The first of these is the way in which gender issues were used symbolically by Muslim religious and political leaders to give substance to a community identity based largely on religious and cultural ideals in the three decades prior to independence. The second is the activities of elite Muslim women in social reform organisations and their entry into politics. Most of the recent literature on the development of a distinct Muslim identity during this period focuses entirely on politics and thus on relatively short-term factors leading to Partition. However, gender makes us look again at the longer term, especially the way in which it gave substance to the imagining of an all- India Muslim identity. I examine the various constructions and stereotypes of the Muslim woman and the ways in which she was seen as being in need of special protection in the political sphere while being in an advantageous position with regard to Muslim personal law. Of particular importance here are the discourse on purdah, which had become communalised during this period even as purdah practices
Deutsch, Karin Anne
Islam; Islamic
Muslim women in colonial North India circa 1920-1947 : politics, law and community identity. This dissertation explores the relationship between gender and Muslim community identity in late colonial India. It pursues two broad themes. The first of these is the way in which gender issues were used symbolically by Muslim religious and political leaders to give substance to a community identity based largely on religious and cultural ideals in the three decades prior to independence. The second is the activities of elite Muslim women in social reform organisations and their entry into politics. Most of the recent literature on the development of a distinct Muslim identity during this period focuses entirely on politics and thus on relatively short-term factors leading to Partition. However, gender makes us look again at the longer term, especially the way in which it gave substance to the imagining of an all- India Muslim identity. I examine the various constructions and stereotypes of the Muslim woman and the ways in which she was seen as being in need of special protection in the political sphere while being in an advantageous position with regard to Muslim personal law. Of particular importance here are the discourse on purdah, which had become communalised during this period even as purdah practices
muslim woman colonial north india circa politics law community_identity explores_relationship gender muslim_community identity late_colonial india pursues two_broad theme first way gender issue use symbolically muslim religious_political leader give substance community_identity base_largely religious_cultural ideal prior independence second activity elite muslim woman social_reform organisation entry politics recent_literature development distinct muslim_identity period focus entirely politics thus relatively_short term factor_lead partition however gender make look long_term especially way give substance imagine all india muslim_identity examine_various construction stereotype muslim woman way see need special protection political_sphere position_regard muslim personal law particular_importance discourse become period even practice