The Contribution of Dalit and Adivasi Women to Social Consciousness in Modern India

Abstract

Modern Indian social consciousness is formed through a myriad of historical processes involving caste hierarchies, patriarchy, colonial administration, democratization processes, and social movements. Nevertheless, the narratives on social change have tended to focus more on elites as agents for reform and as central to political activities than marginal individuals like marginalized women. Specifically, the contribution made by Dalit and Adivasi women to the social construction of modern India has not been given enough recognition. Instead of being portrayed as actors in social transformation, Dalit and Adivasi women have been portrayed as objects of exclusion. While previous research has focused mainly on Dalit movements, tribal struggles, and women's empowerment as distinct fields, little attention has been paid to how these two groups interact together to bring about social transformation. The present paper will bridge this knowledge gap by studying the contribution made by these groups together in shaping Indian social consciousness. This paper analyzes their role in five interrelated domains such as political consciousness, social reform, identity formation, democratization, and the development of alternative epistemologies. Specifically, in terms of methodology, this paper takes the historical qualitative research approach complemented with critical discourse analysis while also employing the theoretical approaches of feminism, intersectionality, and subaltern studies. Using the insights from history, social movements, literature, discourses, and grassroots practices, this research seeks to examine the manner in which marginalized women use spaces of exclusion as spaces of collective empowerment. Specifically, the results reveal that Dalit and Adivasi women have made contributions to modern India through the process of not only participating in social movements but also changing the notions of citizenship, representation, justice, and democracy. The notion of "transformative social consciousness" is introduced as a framework to understand the ways in which historically oppressed women create alternative social epistemologies.