Shaping the Discourse: Women\'s Writings In The Bengali Periodicals 1864-1947

This is one of the three readers compiled by the School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University. This volume of translations from Bangla literature explores the process of the formation of gender discourse in society through practice. The essays were all written by women from Bengal, before the division of Pakistan, East and West, and India. The consequences of the first partition of Bengal, 1905, politicized religious identities and introduced some self-consciousness that was articulated in women’s writing. Interestingly, the first text in this collection is known as the first and only signed piece of writing by a Muslim woman in a non-Muslim journal. These selections across time permit us to discern the dynamics of change in positions and strategies regarding certain issues like women’s education, child marriage, widow remarriage, women’s seclusion, reform, self-help and work for the country. A path-breaking collection that will enhance the audience’s understanding of gender.