Description

About the Book

Religion, Politics and Women’s Equality
Last few decades have witnessed the rise of fundamentalist politics all over the World. In India it has come up in the name of Hindutva or Hindu Nationalism. Such type of politics is the aggressive attempt to re-impose the social values of caste, class and gender hierarchies. The language of this politics projects the Golden past to revive the hierarchies, giving them a respectable presentation. While popularly it is presumed that this politics is targeted against the religious minorities the, other major aspects of this politics is not perceived so well. This book brings forth the aspect of gender equation in this politics. The book traces the rise of Hindu nationalism as an opposition to the values of Indian nationalism, where values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are inherent. In Hindu nationalism the patriarchal values are deeply ingrained as manifested in various of its campaigns against Valentine day celebration, girls wearing jeans and even in the very aggressive campaign built around ‘love Jihad’. It presents subservient women from the past as the role model for women.
The book attempts to unravel the patriarchal agenda of Hindu Nationalists.

About the Author

Ram Puniyani Chairman. Center for Study of Society and Secularism Mumbai. Former Professor IIT Bombay. Is associated with various secular initiatives and has been part of various investigation reports on violation of human rights of minorities. He has been conducting workshops and delivering lectures in different parts of the country on the themes related to threats to democracy; the agenda of communal politics; myths about minorities and politics of terror and Path to Peace and Justice. Books: Caste and Communalism (Olive), Communal Politics: facts versus Myths, Deconstructing Terrorist Violence (Sage), Indian Nationalism versus Hindu Nationalism (Pharos), Communalism Explained (Media House) Awards; India Gandhi National Integration ward (2006), National Communal Harmony Award (2007), Mukundan C. Menon Award (2015). Weekly column on issues related to secular values and defense of human rights.

Contents

Preface
Introduction
1. Secularization Process , Caste and Gender Equality in India

Background
Religion and Human Society
Secularization
Secularization in India
Jyotirao Phule
Dr. Ambedkar
Periyar
Workers
Savitribai Phule
Freedom Movement
State and Secularism
Independence: Social Transformation
Opposition to People’s Movements
Bibliography

2. Fundamentalism and Women’s Rights
Fundamentalism
The Origins
Islamic Countries
Hindu Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism and Women
References

3. Struggle for Gender Equality

Two Steps Forward: One Step Back
Background
Introduction
Gender Hierarchy
Different Political Streams: Attitude to Gender
Transformation in Gender Equations
Indian Constitution: Place of Women
Decade of Eighties
Cultural Manipulation
Broader Picture
Conclusion

4. Whither Gender Parity?

Women and Patriarchal Values Today
5.‘Our’ Women, ‘Their’ Women
Communal Ideology and Women
6. Communal Ideology and Violence against Women
7.Arrested Social Transformation
Khap Panchayats Asserting Caste-Gender Hierarchy
8. RSS and the Gender Question
9. Riddles of Hindutva
10. Loving to Hate
Valentine’s Day Rampage
11. Caging the Women
Debate on Age of Consent
12. Rape: Patriarchy and Selective Historiography
13. India’s Rape Culture: Urban versus Rural
14. Preventing Crimes against Women
Are Stringent Laws the only Solution?.
15. Karnataka’s Porngate, RSS Combine and Patriarchal Norms
16. Coding the Dress
17. Demonization through Demography
18. Kitchen, Church and Children
Shri Ram Sene Beats up Girls in a Pub.
19. Does Love Know Religious Boundaries?
20. History and Comm unity Honor
Protests against Jodha Akbar .
21. Swamis, Celibacy and Sex Scandals
22. Ayesha and the Head Scarf
23.Dolls House
24. Saluting Bilkis Bano
Reflections on Gujarat
25. A House for Shabana Azmi
26. Love and be Damned: Rizwan’s Story
27. Lamb Allies with Wolf!
Kerala Christian Group and VHP Join Hands against Illusory Love
Jihad.
28. Taslima, Hussein and Liberal Ethos
29. Lifting the Veil
30. Declining Sex Ratio: Patriarchy Prevails
31. Campaign to Curb Inter-faith Marriages
Ruse to Restrict Women’s Freedom.
32. Mangal Sutra, Patriarchy and Religious Nationalism
33. Hinduism and Gender Justice
Transitions in Nineteenth Century Bengal
34. Uniformity or Gender Justice
35. A Nobel for Malala
36. Can Sita be the Role Model for Contemp orary Women?
37. Striving for Gender Justice
Overcoming Obstacles.
Postscript
Social Reforms , Muslim Women and RSS-BJP Agenda
Women’s Entry to Places of Worship..
Sabarimala Shrine and Women’s Entry .
Appendix
Imp act of Communalism on Muslim Women
What do we need?.