Indian Women’s Subjectivities through the Eyes of Indian Female Academics in a Transnational Context

Abstract

This research covers some unexplored areas of the experiences and subjectivity of Indian female academics in a transnational context. I began with showing my own perception of what it means to struggle for agency and how difficult it is to become an empowered subject as a woman in contemporary India. I argued that the post-colonial Indian state continues practices that strengthen the grip of patriarchy around the emerging Indian society. I examined the post-colonial debates by focusing on and relating to ideas such as “subaltern” and “Indian women.” I found it problematic to limit the discussion to a single dimension: either homogeneity or heterogeneity when categorizing Indian women. I also tried to show how the idea of indigenous Indian contemporary womanhood makes modern day Orientalist practices more damaging. Then turning to the question of how female academics acquired agency I proved that subjectivity gets shaped by class and material conditions.