Browsing by Subject "agency"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment: Theoretical Parameters and their Interplays
(University of North Bengal, 2014-03) Dey, Sourav Madhur
This paper begins from the understanding that women's empowerment is inescapably bound up with the condition of disempowerment. It is about a process of change by which those who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such ability.
Open Access
Daring to Tell the Tale: A Thematic Analysis of Feminist Retellings of Popular Mythological Narratives
(University of North Bengal, 2024-12) Bandopadhyay, Shrestha
The paper critically examines the radical subversions of three popular mythological narratives, all centered around female protagonists-the good woman, the bad, and the one who could never be the former because of being a woman. Each of these narratives originally act as either tales of caution or as stories glorifying the noble cis male victor’s heroism in protecting the weak female and act as mechanisms to rid the society of deviance while perpetuating caste patriarchal norms of the times. Subverting the popular narrative structure, each of these three pieces- ranging from poetry to novel- re-imagine and rehierarchize not only the female protagonist but also debunks the vilification of many other female characters and question perpetual systems of oppression instead. They turn the narratives from tales of individual blame to questions of larger social processes that allow and facilitate the suppression of all who do not hold power. Taking a look at writing spanning almost a century and focusing on views of authors coming from distinct social, political and gender(ed.) locations, the paper tries to analyze the challenge to the dominant narratives from below through an intersectional feminist point of view. The paper tries to take a fresh look into old myths and critically examine ideas of solidarity, resistance and liberation and the potential they hold in the contemporary context.
Open Access
Everyday Life of the Subjects in an Alienating Lifeworld
(University of North Bengal, 2024-03-31) Roy, Sanjay K.
Highlighting the dialogical and dialectical method of subject formation and engagement with the alienating lifeworld the present paper argues that the self is not only historically and socially constructed within the asymmetrical power relations but also grows up with a unique critical agency that can act, both individually and collectively, to bring about the desired changes in the lifeworld for a responsible and ethically rich “good life”. It is in this duality that the author locates the post-modern politics, where subjects, living a similar precarious life, laden with injustices and violence, can join hands for transformative actions without sacrificing their subjective autonomy or individuality.
Open Access
Self-formation and Life of the Daughters in Marwari Community in Siliguri
(University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Karmakar, Priyanka
The preference for sons over daughters, which is a part of Pan-Indian culture, is more pronounced in some regions and among some communities; the Marwaris of Siliguri, is one such community. The Marwaris, who have migrated to Siliguri from Rajasthan, over the years, are a burgeoning business community in Siliguri, which is a flourishing business hub. The present paper, which is a part of my research in Siliguri, gives an ethnographic account of the Marwari community’s gender perception, especially son preference which they consider “natural” and acceptable because of the various socio-cultural and economic advantages associated with having a son. Such preferential treatment often results into the practice of daughter aversion and discrimination. The paper further demonstrates how the practice of son preference affects the self-formation of Marwari daughters who are made to grow up in an overpowering patriarchal culture and inculcate the values that help perpetuate gender discrimination.