P R E F A £ E 

Anthropological and sociolosical researches on Muslim 

women in India, particularly in west Ben9al are very scanty. 

There are a few studies on status of Muslim women of urban 

centres, but very little is known about the dynamics of t.heir 

social position in rural areas. 

The Muslims are the largest minority in India. According 

to 1981 Census they constituted 11.35% of India's total population 

and in west Bengal they were 21. 51%. 'l'he total Muslim population 

in India were 75,512,439) of which 38,989,763 were male and 

36,522,676 were female. The socio-economic and educational 

backwardness of the Muslims are well known. It is generally 

assumed that modernization in Muslim society has sustained a 

set~back due to various factors, of which the insignif ic&"1t 

roles played by its women is most important. Though Islam has 

given women as beings· of their own right and given them an 

impressive array of claims, but in reality the women are the 

worst sufferer from several social disabili-ties. 'rhe Muslim 

social system has prevented easy access of women to avail various 

opportunities for their self development. 

The present study is an ati:errg;rt to analyse the sc-:;io­

cultural aspects of women in Muslim Society. Th'~ position of 
Muslim women has been examined on the basJs of ·their stati.t::; r.)~d 



(II) 

roles in different social context. Er~hasis has also been given 

to find out the various problems faced by the Muslim women and 

the socio-cultural constraints t9 their status upliftment. The 

study was conducted in two villages of west Bengal. Of the two ----- _..____ 

villages one.is located in the interior (remote) area of the 

district of Burdwan, while the other is si·tuated near the urban 

(fringe) area of the district of Howrcu'1. In this dissertation 

these two villages shall also be referred as interior and urban 

villages respectively. 

The thesis is the outcome of my full time research v/Ork 

of more than five years. I am thankful to the authority of the 

University of North Bengal for providing me with a Junior Research 

Fellowship. I therefore, highly obliged to prof. K.N.Chatterjee, 

Vice-Chancellor and Dr. T.K.Chatterjee, Registrar of this Univer-

sity for their kind helps to complete this research. I am a1so 

thankful to various officers of this University who have extended 

full co-operat~on during the tenure of the fellowship. 

I find it difficult to adequately express my deep sense 

of gratitude to Prof. R. K. Bhadra of the department of Sociology 

& Social Anthropology, University of North Bengal, for his 

generous guidance and valuable suggestions throughout the course 

of this study. Without his sincere supervision the work might not 

' 
be completed. I am also grateful to my other teachers of the 

department of sociology & social Anthropology of this University 

for their help and encouragement.