The Silken Swing : The Cultural Universe of Dalit Women

Offering a rare view from the bottom of the caste pyramid, this book shows how Dalit women perceive themselves and the world around them. Selecting two villages in two taluks of Gujarat, the book focuses on Vankar, Bhangi and Koli-Patel women, revealing how the caste and gender structures that govern their lives also provide tools of resistance: of negotiation rather than of confrontation. The book draws the reader into an intimate world, aiming to let the women\'s voices be heard, speaking of their understandings and their interactions.

The first part looks at the women\'s day-to-day lives. The second relates songs and stories that explore ways in which cultural artefacts function as normative prescriptions and expressive outlets. Themes emerge relating to family relationships, sexuality, life-sustaining responsibilities and the presence of the Mother Goddesses. Of particular interest is the exploration of work, indicating that women, however overburdened, appropriate it to recover self-esteem and assert identity. This is a path-breaking book that reveals the vibrant world of these women.