Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women
The grand narratives of Mother India posit women’s emancipation as the central concern, insisting on her public participation in the educational and economic sectors. The relegation of the archetypal motherhood to the national periphery is strictly rooted in the Hindu traditional culture. The schism...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ACCB Publishing
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Space and Culture, India |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.spaceandculture.in/index.php/spaceandculture/article/view/590 |
| _version_ | 1818120457563406336 |
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| author | Ayshath Shamah Rahmath Raihanah Mohd Mydin Ruzy Suliza Hashim |
| author_facet | Ayshath Shamah Rahmath Raihanah Mohd Mydin Ruzy Suliza Hashim |
| author_sort | Ayshath Shamah Rahmath |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The grand narratives of Mother India posit women’s emancipation as the central concern, insisting on her public participation in the educational and economic sectors. The relegation of the archetypal motherhood to the national periphery is strictly rooted in the Hindu traditional culture. The schisms of caste, class, and religion in contemporary society are normalised whilst the gendered undercurrents of domestic violence, chauvinism and religious sensibilities are ignored. Such polished idealisms are, in fact, far from the living reality of most women and girls across all spheres in the country. By reviewing notable texts from past and present, this research problematises the position of Muslim women in India, specifically during the nationalistic discourse and post-independent era. The national freedom struggle movement assured a democratic constitution, which primed Mother India as the figurative Indian woman encrypting ideologies from socio-religious discourses. The grand narratives often become instrumental in politicising the vested interest of the hegemonic class. The struggles of Muslim women were foregrounded not only in the gendered disparity of the religious domain but also in the socio-cultural disparities which excluded them from the domain of Indian womanhood. Mainstream history, literature and even women development organisations deliberately typified Muslim women along with the religious discourse. Briefly, in this paper, we infer that Muslim women were rendered invisible in the limelight of the archetypal Mother India, denying their social, political, cultural and literary participation. They were thus subjected to constitutional othering by the mainstream socio-political entities (who subjected them) at the onset of nationalism, which continues to exist in post-colonial discourses where women are expected to constantly negotiate their religious identity over their national identity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:26:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-209a1b6c3c6744e78a1015d6e196528e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2052-8396 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T05:26:24Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | ACCB Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Space and Culture, India |
| spelling | doaj.art-209a1b6c3c6744e78a1015d6e196528e2022-12-22T01:19:33ZengACCB PublishingSpace and Culture, India2052-83962020-03-017410.20896/saci.v7i4.590Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim WomenAyshath Shamah Rahmath0Raihanah Mohd Mydin1Ruzy Suliza Hashim2PhD ScholarProfessorProfessorThe grand narratives of Mother India posit women’s emancipation as the central concern, insisting on her public participation in the educational and economic sectors. The relegation of the archetypal motherhood to the national periphery is strictly rooted in the Hindu traditional culture. The schisms of caste, class, and religion in contemporary society are normalised whilst the gendered undercurrents of domestic violence, chauvinism and religious sensibilities are ignored. Such polished idealisms are, in fact, far from the living reality of most women and girls across all spheres in the country. By reviewing notable texts from past and present, this research problematises the position of Muslim women in India, specifically during the nationalistic discourse and post-independent era. The national freedom struggle movement assured a democratic constitution, which primed Mother India as the figurative Indian woman encrypting ideologies from socio-religious discourses. The grand narratives often become instrumental in politicising the vested interest of the hegemonic class. The struggles of Muslim women were foregrounded not only in the gendered disparity of the religious domain but also in the socio-cultural disparities which excluded them from the domain of Indian womanhood. Mainstream history, literature and even women development organisations deliberately typified Muslim women along with the religious discourse. Briefly, in this paper, we infer that Muslim women were rendered invisible in the limelight of the archetypal Mother India, denying their social, political, cultural and literary participation. They were thus subjected to constitutional othering by the mainstream socio-political entities (who subjected them) at the onset of nationalism, which continues to exist in post-colonial discourses where women are expected to constantly negotiate their religious identity over their national identity.http://www.spaceandculture.in/index.php/spaceandculture/article/view/590Mother IndiaMuslim womenIndian NationalismConstitutional OtheringNational and religious identities |
| spellingShingle | Ayshath Shamah Rahmath Raihanah Mohd Mydin Ruzy Suliza Hashim Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women Space and Culture, India Mother India Muslim women Indian Nationalism Constitutional Othering National and religious identities |
| title | Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women |
| title_full | Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women |
| title_fullStr | Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women |
| title_full_unstemmed | Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women |
| title_short | Archetypal Motherhood and the National Agenda: The Case of the Indian Muslim Women |
| title_sort | archetypal motherhood and the national agenda the case of the indian muslim women |
| topic | Mother India Muslim women Indian Nationalism Constitutional Othering National and religious identities |
| url | http://www.spaceandculture.in/index.php/spaceandculture/article/view/590 |
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