Religious Patriarchy and the Subjugation of Women in India

Publisher: Common Ground Publishing

ISSN: 1833-1882

Source: The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review, Vol.3, Iss.3, 2008-01, pp. : 21-30

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

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Abstract

Religious patriarchy works as a vehicle for coercing women to accept gender oppression through religion, in order to maintain the cohesion of the male-dominated social system in India. Examining religious patriarchy and the politics of location requires an exploration of the historical, geographical and cultural boundaries which provides the groundwork for understanding the phenomena. Religious patriarchy brings to the forefront many theoretical questions regarding the position of women in religion, which is actually based on multiple locations that have evolved through integration of complex configurations of culture and power. The presenter will analyze the growing resistance by women in Kerala, India to dowry-related traditions and the violence that often results from this resistance, as well as the lack of support they are receiving from religion institutions. This presentation will also examine religious, post-colonial and feminist discourse on women’s position in India by investigating the conditions that produced this discourse, its correlation with male domination, and the many ways in which its ideas were deployed to keep women oppressed.