Postcolonial Feminist Theory: An Overview - Igcollege.org

Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature , Jan. 27-28, 2012, NandedWOMEN IN LIMBALE’S OUTCASTE : A FEMINIST VIEW.Mr. V. S. BongulwarS. D. College, Hadgaon.Dist. Nanded.When we discuss Dalit and Dalitism it remain incomplete unless we take into account astrong undercurrent of Dalit women and their condition as a part as well as a separate stream underthe overall space of Dalit literature. With it, it can also be argued that any perspective on Dalitwomen is bound to be lop –sided unless we take into consideration the perculiar socio-economicmilieu in which she is placed. Dalit women are rightly seen as “thrice – subjugated as women, asDalit women, and as Dalit women who perform stigmatized labour. Dr. Ambedkar saw the Hinducaste system as a pyramid of earthen pots which are put on one another. In this structure not only theprivileged castes of Brahmins and Ksatriyas are at the top and Shudras and untouchables at the bottombut within each earthen pot “men are at the top and women of that caste are on the bottom likecrushed and wasted powder. And at the very bottom are the Dalits and below them are the suppresseddalit women.” Thus on the one hand a Dalit woman shares with her male coiinlerpar the deprivationsand disabilities due to her position at the lowest ladder of brahminical hierarchical social order, on theother as a woman she has to bear the tortures and invisibilities which our patriarchal social orderimposes upon tie supposedly 'fair sex'. It has been her fate as a dalit to bear threats of rape andviolence from the hands of upper caste, upper class people. While dalit movement brought in its wakehope for a better treatment and equality, with the rise of identity concerns and community feelings italso increased the risk of objectification of dalit women. While feminism asserting the femaleidentity tended to ignore the peculiar socio-economic environment which made her experiencestudicdiv .different from the upper class female, the dalit movement also cannot be absolved of thecharges of showing strong patriarchal leanings. The outcome of it has been that dalit woman has beenleft in lurch by both modern feminists and male dominated dalit movement, as noted by AnupamaRao:"The women's movement has in its enthrallment of'sisterhood' failed to note the 'caste' factor while theDalit movement has remained patriarchal and sees (lie dalit women's oppression merely as a casteoppression."The Outcaste by Sharankumar Limbale is a noteworthy work in dalit writings. Together with theauthentic representation of dalit sensibility where caste is seen as a collegium of multiple socio-347 PLTL-2012: ISBN 978-81-920120-0-1