Feminist and Anticaste Pedagogies

Book excerpt: This book comprises the collected essays of Sharmila Rege (1964 – 2013), which span a range of themes, including critical perspectives on women’s movements, Dalit standpoint feminism, and the relationship between Women’s Studies and other disciplines. Written over two decades and more (from the 1990s to 2010), these pioneering essays draw from the struggles and writings of Dalit women, the long history of anticaste thought in Maharashtra and global feminist debates. Equally, they address enduring concerns to do with caste and gender, and call attention to the inseparability of struggles against caste and patriarchy. Framed and annotated by an introduction that places Sharmila's work in the intellectual and historical contexts that shaped it, the volume also features short prefatory notes by her colleagues on the various themes taken up for discussion. Addressing, as it does, the researcher, the activist and the teacher, the book is indispensable for students and researchers of women’s studies, feminism, gender studies, Dalit studies, minority studies, Sociology, as well as studies in language and rhetoric.