[Reader-list] dalit womens statement

[Monica Narula]

Below is a posting written and read recently - 8th march , which i 
have taken from another list (undercurrents at bbs.thing.net)

best
M

University of Hyderabad, 8-March-2002
STATEMENT OF DALIT WOMEN
Non-dalit women!  Caste Matters!

Dear sisters,
we wish you happy women's day.

There are many reasons for us, dalit women to raise our voice on this 
particular occasion.  Given the class-caste  variations of 
patriarchal practices and their diverse histories, it is important to 
think about difference and spaces, in order to construct an adequate 
possibility for traversal politics.  We, dalit women want Hindu women 
and other non-dalit women to recognize that Indian female community 
is stratified  by castiest patriarchal system.  Caste system, both as 
hegemony and political structure works against the unity of Indian 
women.  For centuries this scene is not altered.  For instance Human 
Right's Watch, 1999  observes

"Singularly positioned at the bottom of India's caste, class and 
gender hierarchies, largely uneducated and consistently paid less 
than their male counterparts, dalit women make up the majority of 
landless labourers
and scavengers, as well as a significant percentage of the women 
forced into prostitution in rural areas or sold into urban brothels. 
As such they come into greater contact  with landlords and 
enforcement agencies than their upper
caste counterparts.  Their subordinate position is exploited by those 
in power who carry out their attacks with impunity."

We, dalit women, therfore request you to  recognize  that it is not 
just male domination but castiest  patriarchy which is at force in 
India.  We ask you to rethink.  We want you to acknowledge the 
political  importance of
‘difference' i.e. heterogenity,  that exists among Indian female 
community.  That you are made where as we are mutilated.  You are put 
on a  pedestal, whereas we are thrown into fields to work day and 
night.  You were made
Satis, we were made harlots.  Dear sisters, do not take this as an 
emotional, parocial supplication made by a few previleged dalit women.

Recognition of difference is fundamental to any democratic politics. 
Our subordinate positions are constituted and represented differently 
according to our differential locations within castiest patriarchal 
relations of power.

Within this structure we don't exist simply as woman, but as 
differentiated categories such as scavenger women, peasant women, 
"professional" women etc.  Each description reflects the 
particularity of social condition.  And real
lives are forged out of a complex assertion of these dimensions.

The objective of any stream of democratic  feminism is to change the 
social relations embedded within all dominant power structures like 
gender, caste and class to mention only a few.  Dalit feminism 
obviously belongs to this
stream of thought.

Democratisation of consciousness is necessary to make this world an 
amicable place to live.  We, unhesitatingly claim that dalit feminism 
has already started its voyage towards this direction.  We do 
heartfully admit that a
considerable number of dalit men and non- dalit women and men have 
been making concrete efforts to talk and rethink about differences 
and alternatives.  We hope that this wonderful occasion of women's 
day would further  bring us closer to initiate a dialogue about both 
commonalities and also differences.

Apart from dalit women, alisamma women's  collective welcomes dalit 
men and non-dalit people,  both women and men to come and join its 
politics.  It is premised on dalit feminist centered theory and 
practice.  We have named
ourselves in memory of  alisamma, the witness and subsequent vitness 
of Karamchedu dalit massacre, and her glorious struggle.

Thank You,
For alisamma women's collective
Sowjanya Raman,
Ratna Velisela,
Swathy Margaret Maddela,
indira jalli,

-- 
Monica Narula
Sarai:The New Media Initiative
29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054
www.sarai.net