Journal of Women's Studies: University of North Bengal, Vol. 12

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/5652

Editorial

I am happy to announce that the 2023 Journal of Women’s Studies issue is now published.

This issue of the Journal of Women’s Studies carries academic papers that explore a wide range of topics such as gender violence, women empowerment, the role of women in building cultural heritage of India, feminism in art, prostitution, gender, patriarchy, ableim, social disability, marriage, and divorce, thus interlocking fields of literature, media, women’s studies, Cultural Studies. The Journal of Women’s Studies was founded in the year 2000. Since then, it has aimed to provide a forum for readers and writers to consider a variety of subjects and expand their knowledge of feminism and gender equality as they discuss and dream of establishing a just and equitable world.

The first essay on the issue, “Roots, Nature and Extent of Gender Violence and Women Empowerment: Discourse and Reality in India,” looks into the reality of violence against women as a phenomenon whose roots go deep in the history of our civilization. While economic growth has improved employment opportunities for both men and women in India, which has led to an increased number of women working in Indian job market, violence against women has also increased alarmingly. The study supported by primary data and secondary data (NCR, NFHS) looks into the coexistence of these combined forces that create a very complex socio-economic environment in India.

The essay “The Role of Woman in Building Cultural Heritage of India” begins with a view that women in ancient India were not as wholly neglected as they are sometimes presumed to be, and goes on to introduce and expand on the idea of “ardhanariswar”. The author profoundly delves into the concepts of divine energy, the balance between masculine and feminine force, “Parvati” and “Parameshwar”, “vak” and “artha”. The author’s point is reinforced by numerous etymological analyses and slokas in the essay. The essay also anticipates a society in which women will be empowered.

The essay “Feminist Philosophy of Art” explores the intersections between aesthetics and feminism. Feminist aesthetics exposes the objectification of women in arts. This essay examines feminist artists’ responses to the objectification of women in the traditional art canon, and the possible reasons behind this representation. “Prostitution and Slavery: A Discussion of Abolitionist Perspective” discusses perspectives on agency and empowerment of women and discusses prostitution as slavery.

Poor Things based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, is one of the most anticipated films of 2023 and has received 11 Oscar nominations. The story, which explores protagonist Bella’s defiant attitude in the face of strict societal rules that puts to question the gender construction and performance in a patriarchal society, is laced with elements of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. One aspect of investigating everyday life in Cultural Studies is looking at how a “person” is created and incorporated into the ordinary through different performances. The essay titled “Unveiling the Surreal and Subversive: Interrogating Gender, Patriarchy, and Everyday in Poor Things” attempts an interesting analysis of a woman protagonist’s introspection and her quest for self-awareness by probing into constructions of gender, sexuality, sexual pleasure, and morality—all of which manufacture her everyday identity.

The struggle of the underprivileged is one of Mahesh Dattani’s significant subjects in his plays. His plays question politically created mindsets, gender stereotypes, social standards, and conventional wisdom. The essay on Mahesh Dattani’s Tara examines the relationship between gender and disability, marginalization of women, and the exclusion of individuals with disabilities. Dattani’s examination of these interconnections challenge the assumptions of his audience. “Marriage and Divorce over the Decades: An Analysis of the portrayal of Marital Relationships in Select Indian English Fictions” deals with the intricacies of marital bonds explored in select texts.

As Women’s Studies course curriculum and seminar discussions and Feminism(s) and Gender Studies make us examine the ingrained patterns of existing domination in society and how we contribute to their maintenance and perpetuation, we begin questioning the oversimplified explanations of gender and other discriminations. This journal provides a platform for raising questions and engaging in meaningful discussions on some of these existing societal dominations and mindsets. I thank the contributors for their interesting essays. They will be an important addition to our archive.

Over the past 40 years, the global popularity of Japanese visual culture has grown exponentially, making it a multifaceted cultural phenomenon. Since the 1980s, manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation) have been incredibly popular among the young adult populace.

Superflat and Post-Gender: A Case Study of female bodies in Ghost in the Shell and Paprika’ studies the female body in Anime and Manga with reference to Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 cyberpunk masterpiece Ghost in the Shell, and Satoshi Kon’s 2006 film Paprika.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to University of North Bengal’s Women’s Studies Journal Editorial Board and Advisory Board, to the North Bengal University administration for their encouragement and support, to the members of the Advisory Committee, and the Academic Board of Women’s Studies for their insightful comments and assistance.

My thanks to NBU Press team for their support. The authors reserve the responsibility of answering future queries about content, methodology, and referencing.

I express my gratitude to the entire team whose commitment and perseverance has made the Women Studies Journal 2023 possible.

With best wishes.

Dr. Zinia MitraProfessor,

Department of English & Director, Centre for Women’s Studies

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    Marriage and Divorce over the Decades: An Analysis of the Portrayal of Marital Relationships in Select Indian English Fictions
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Chatterjee, Kaushik
    The institution of marriage developed early in human society had its foundations in love, companionship, commitment, and mutual respect. The traditional view of marriage in India saw the institution as a bond for several lives. With exalted status given to men, the institution extended limited agency to women. Divorce became heavily stigmatized and discouraged. The issue of marital conflict is one of the dominant themes in Indian English fiction. Raja Rao, Arun Joshi, Kamala Markandaya, Nayantara Sahgal, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Bhabani Bhattacharya, Shobhaa De, Anita Desai, and many others frequently have used the theme of marriage and divorce as one of the central motifs in their works. The paper discusses marital strife in The Serpent and the Rope by Raja Rao and The Day in Shadow by Nayantara Sahgal. Raja Rao's novel was published in 1960, and Nayantara Sahgal's book was published in 1971. The paper discusses the theme of marriage and divorce in the two novels published a decade apart to examine whether the approach to marriage and marital differences has changed in a decade as represented in literature.
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    Exploring Gender Discrimination and Oppression in Mahesh Dattani’s Tara: A Tale of Ableism and Social Disability
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Dutta, Sayantina
    Mahesh Dattani's plays primarily revolve around the marginalised individuals and their quest to gain recognition within society. They challenge the established conventions, politically constructed mindsets, gender categorizations, and societal generalisations. He adeptly illustrates the intricate nature of socially approved gender norms. Dattani does not provide a definitive resolution for the social problems he addresses; instead, he encourages the audience to confront these concerns and develop an awareness of them. This research investigates gender inequality and the exclusion of women and disabled individuals in relation to Mahesh Dattani's play “Tara”. In this play, the playwright explores the topic of disability by analyzing the character dynamics, familial relationships, and societal expectations. The main character of the play, a disabled young girl named Tara, serves as the focal point of the arguments in this research paper. The story alludes to women’s subservient status in Indian society, which is a result of ingrained prejudice and gender bias. It challenges the roles and behaviours that society assigns to each gender as well as the specific ways that people—male and female—are supposed to behave. Dattani challenges viewers to consider their own views and fight towards a more equal society by exploring the linkages between gender and disability. This article emphasises how critical it is to address these problems in order to build a more equitable and inclusive society.
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    Unveiling the Surreal and Subversive: Interrogating Gender, Patriarchy, and Everyday in Poor Things
    (University of Northe Benagl, 2023-12) Halder, Abhijeet
    Yorgos Lanthimos in Poor Things has created a world where the audience’s sensory perception is immediately shocked by the eerie and surreal ambience of it. Godwin Baxter, a Frankenstein-like doctor, in the narrative has created a mansion removed from the everyday reality of the world outside. The surreality of Godwin’s world is in stark contrast with the world that Bella Baxter (a ‘woman’ Godwin created) encounters outside. Godwin has created Bella, or given life to Bella, by inserting the brain of an embryo into the body of a grown woman; thus Bella is born into an everyday life which is created by Godwin (or God as Bella called him). Bella goes on a journey of self-exploration, a journey of self-awareness, where she interrogates her gender, sexuality, sexual pleasure, morality, and constructs her everyday identity. Bella consolidates her gender through various performative acts all through the movie. Everyday life has been an important element of cultural studies in the twentieth century; a critique of everyday life is a result of interrogating the prevailing structures in all segments of life: how a ‘person’ is constructed, becomes a part of the everyday through various performances is one of the aspects of investigating everyday life in cultural studies. This paper aims to read Bella’s everyday life before she leaves Godwin’s mansion and Bella’s encounter with the everyday realities of different cities, in other words, the diversified everyday life of the world. This paper will further explore how Bella constructs her gender identity, femininity, sexuality, and class consciousness gradually as the narrative progresses. Bella's investigation of the prevailing structures of everyday life and subsequent subversion of it is what this paper aims to explore. This paper uses some feminist and cultural theorists to study Bella’s interrogation of different structures and cultures. This paper is an attempt to capture Bella’s transformation from infancy to adulthood, from innocence to experience, from a docile individual to a rebel.
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    Prostitution and Slavery: A Discussion of Abolitionist Perspective
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Paul, Ankita
    According to the abolitionist position, prostitution is slavery. It is a moral evil. In this article, I will discuss the abolitionist perspective on prostitution. I will present another standpoint where sex workers are empowered and able to access agency.
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    Feminist Philosophy of Art
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Saha, Subham
    The feminist philosophy of art is concerned with how feminist issues are involved in aesthetics. Like feminism, feminist aesthetics show how women are objectified in art. This article will show how and why women are depicted in an objectified manner in the traditional art canon and how feminist artists react against this.
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    The Role of Woman in Building Cultural Heritage of India
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Ghosh, Raghunath
    In our Hindu Law Manu had made such a remark: To him, gods rejoice there where women are duly honoured. He also added in this connection that if women in the society lament and are tortured, the whole kingdom will suffer owing to this leading to its complete annihilation. At the moment we do not want to judge the justifiability of such statements in details, but at best it can be said that the position of the women in ancient society was not totally neglected as it is commonly thought of. We come across the icon of Ardhanārīśvara, which is in fact a combination of half male and half female. Such an icon is of very much significance on the ground that it indicates the role of woman in our life. If a woman wants to exercise her freedom, nobody will go to resist her. Historical account shows that in India there were many women who exercised their freedom in a full-fledged manner. It is believed in Indian culture that the Divine Energy (Śakti) is manifested as the Ultimate female power in Hindu cosmology. She creates, destroys and exhibits a fierce power over all of creation. If they have such a confidence, power given to them will be utilized for the welfare of the women as well as the country. I am personally looking forward towards this ‘dawn’ of their own glorious identity lost now-a-days due to various socio-political problems.
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    Roots, Nature and Extent of Gender Violence and Women Empowerment: Discourse and Reality in India
    (University of North Bengal, 2023-12) Guha, Sumana
    Violence against women is a deep-rooted phenomenon that can be traced back to the history of civilization. The restrictive socio-religious norms in India limit women’s choices and access to opportunities. Economic globalization has enhanced job opportunities for both men and women that has increased the number of women in the job market in India defying social norms. Nevertheless, violence against women has become an alarming concern in India. On one hand women’s increased access to job market appears as an indicator of enhancing their financial empowerment, freedom of movement etc. but violence against women, a sheer violation of human rights, undermines that empowerment. Hence, the co-existence of these positive and negative forces twined together create a very complex socio-economic environment in India. Emphasis is given to women’s empowerment because women are not just a subset of socially disadvantaged groups, but they are a crosscutting category that overlaps with all other disadvantaged groups. This paper worked with secondary (NBCR, NFHS) and primary data reveals that women empowerment and violence against women is highly positively correlated.