Journal of Women's Studies: University of North Bengal, Vol. 13

Editorial

I am delighted to present the thirteenth issue of the Journal of Women’s Studies University of North Bengal (ISSN 2320 3625), a peer reviewed and refereed Journal.

This volume incorporates the diverse arena of gender issues related to women’s identity as in literature, her dichotomy to balance between tradition and modernity, women in politics, representation of women in mythologies, in colonial photography, the status of marginalized women and women with disabilities. It contains nine articles which are an expression of largely unspoken and theoretically unarticulated issues of women revealing the presence of patriarchy and gender disparity. As Edward Said reminds, “My argument is that history is made by men and women, just as it can also be unmade and rewritten, always with various silence and elisions, always with shapes imposed and disfigurements tolerated” (Culture and Imperialism,1994) and hence, it is significant to rework, remake and reproduce expressions and dialogues of women either unheard or over looked in the understanding of gender studies.

This issue focusses on key concepts such as patriarchy, intersectionality and of experiences of oppression and inclusiveness. It refers to a social system that privileges men and subordinate’s women in various aspects of life. The first article by Dr. Varun Kumar Roy titled ‘Women and Contemporary Politics during the times of Babur and Humayun’ explores the role of royal women in politics in medieval India in which women were deprived from active participation in public sphere and formal political institutions yet they could create influence and space in contemporary political discourse. The article of Mayuri Bhagat titled “The Female Companions of the Angry Young Men: A Comparative Study of John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Bratya Basu’s Hemlat” where women as companions of men serve as a support, care yet suffer from insecurities and frustrations. Representing the characters of Sita, Soorpanakha and Eve in ‘Daring Tell the Tale: A Thematic Analysis of Feminist Retellings of Popular Mythological Narratives’ by Shrestha Bandopadhyay relooks the mythologies from a feminist perspective challenging the gender norms identified in the society. The article titled ‘Tradition Versus Modernity: A Comparative Study of Sunity Devee and Gayatri Devi Works (1921-1976)’written by Sulakshana Lama tries to understand the autobiographies of royal queens as Sunity Devi of Cooch Behar and Gayatri Devi of Jaipur and theirdichotomy in balancing the tradition and modernity within the male dominant society.

Intersectionality recognises gender as not only axis of oppression but that it intersects with the other forms of identity such as race, class, and sexuality, shaping women’s experiences of oppression and struggles. Santosh Mahaldar in his article “Double Vulnerability: Understanding Disability through Everyday Experiences of Women with Disabilities – a Brief Treatise” examines the subjugation of the marginalised voices and mistreatment faced by the women with disabilities. The article “Unearthing the Silent Narratives of Women of Darjeeling in Colonial Photography (1835-1947)” by Sourav Sarkar explores the colonial male perspective in representing the women from ethnic groups as Lepchas, Tamangs, Bhutias through the lens of British camera. Photography served as a gendered imperialist project for the British in Darjeeling. Dr. Purnima Roy in the article “Educational Scenario of Tribal Women in Dooars and Terai” identifies the causes, challenges and problems faced by the tribal women in education and provides the suggestions for removing illiteracy from the women of tribal communities of Terai and Dooars of North Bengal.

Understanding collective identities and struggling to eliminate muteness by structural representation in politics is important aspect of efforts for gender equality. Supriya Chanda’s article ‘Evaluating the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023: A Critical Analysis of Women’s Reservation in Indian Politics’examines the importance of diversity and inclusivity of women in political system of the country. In the article titled “Understanding the Status of Matua Women in the 20th and 21st Centuries in Bengal” by Sanchayeeta Goldar speaks of ‘Matri Sena’, an independent women’s organization within the marginalised women of Matua fold, which tries to bring forth gender equality and women’s empowerment through women’s leadership.

The journal has followed a blind– folded review process in accepting the articles keeping in view of the observations and suggestions provided by the esteemed reviewers. I would like to express my gratitude to the honoured reviewers whose insights and suggestions undoubtedly enriched the content of this volume. Furthermore, I extend my appreciation and thanks to all the contributors whose dedication and scholarly endeavours have brought forth significant areas of research in gender studies, contributing immensely to the academic dialogue.

I convey my gratitude to the Honourable Vice Chancellor, University of North Bengal, The Registrar and The Finance Officer for their support in this academic endeavour. I am grateful for the cooperation and support from the colleagues of the Department of Women’s Studies in publishing this journal. A special thanks to Dr. Beethika Moni Dutta for her efforts and support. A heartfelt thanks to Dr. Shubhrojyoti Kundu for designing the cover page of the journal. The unfailing cooperation and help of the officials and staffs of the North Bengal University Press is greatly remembered for publishing the journal.

Editor

Dr. Dahlia Bhattacharya