The Subaltern Indian Woman: Domination and Social Degradation

Book Details

• Editor: Prem Misir

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

• Language: English

• Edition: 2022

• ISBN: 9789811695957

• Pages: 312 pages

• Cover: Hardback

• Sale Territory: This edition may not be sold outside India

About the Book

This compelling volume shines a powerful light on the lives of indentured Indian women who endured immense hardship and oppression while working on European-owned plantations during and after the 19th century. Positioned at the intersection of race, caste, gender, and class exploitation, these women’s stories are brought to life through scholarly analyses and historical case studies that reveal both their suffering and their resilience.

Edited by Prem Misir, Indentured Indian Women in the Indian Diaspora delves into the colonial and patriarchal systems that dehumanized these women, while also tracing their latent connection to early women's abolition movements in India. The book explores the gendered dynamics of indenture, the politics of visibility, and the social legacies of these women in diasporic communities across Suriname, Fiji, Jamaica, South Africa, and the Caribbean.

Born out of the 2017 centennial event commemorating 100 years since the abolition of the indenture system (1834–1917), the volume features contributions from leading scholars including Brij V. Lal, Indrani Sen, Shobna Nijhawan, and Verene Shepherd. Through chapters like Kunti’s Cry, Conceiving the Coolie Woman, and Fallen Through the Nationalist and Feminist Grids of Analysis, the book offers a multidimensional examination of women’s roles, agency, resistance, and the lasting cultural impact of indentured labor.

This is an essential read for researchers, historians, and anyone interested in diaspora studies, gender studies, postcolonialism, and the socio-political history of Indian migration.