Patriarchal Bargains and Paradoxical Emancipation: Issues in the Politics of Land Rights of Kuki Women

Abstract

The article studies the interplay between gender, religion and politics by positing the case of Kuki women, and contributes towards an understanding of the mode in which patriarchy operates and is reinforced when it comes to women’s relationship to land. Ancestral land is tied to the sense of community and identity of the people. It is possible for daughters to inherit all movable and immovable property apart from ancestral land, upon which there are still restrictions to women’s ownership under traditional customary law. Kuki women have no political voice in decision-making where land is concerned, not only within formal state law, but also within local-level management systems such as the customary-law courts. The transnational encounter with missionary women in the 19th and 20th centuries changed the structure of gender relations within Kuki households and the community. However, religion seemed to represent a paradoxical emancipation: though emancipation came about to a certain extent it did not result in a change in power relations within society. Rather, religion adapted itself to suit the patriarchal context that already existed and indirectly supported the gender-biased inheritance customs that deprived women.

Gendered Practice of Naga Customary Laws: A Critical Analysis

“…In Nagaland, land constitute an important source of assets as it also has a close tie with identity. However, women are restricted from being allocated land and women's only access to land is through the meditation of a male member of the family, her father, brother or husband [14]. This shows a gender inequality in terms of access to land and resources.…”

The way of a patriarchal bargain: how the bargain under the structure and agency perspective

“…The study of the main features of the patriarchal bargain was initially described in the household domain, how historical transformations represented the actions of wives in negotiating and compromising their position and relationship with their husbands in controlling household reproductive activities and turmoil within the husband's family boundaries (Kibria;1990;Lindrige et.al;2016, Gram et.al;, then developed in a wider scope of patriarchy (public), where women's strategies were presented in the customary domain (Sitlhou;2015, Moore;, community (Ngunjiri;2013, Phan and Bhattarai;, religious movements (Mahmood;2005, Nisa;2013, Bouras;2017, Nielsen;2019, Mujahiduddin;2019, Odok; and the state (Gurpinar;2015, Tonessen;2010, Jongwilaiwan;2013, Saleem;2017, Hawkins et.al;. While Kandiyoti's emphasis on agency aspects is one of the advantages of the patriarchal bargaining framework, Banstead (2020) at least maps out four advantages of Kandiyoti's approach.…”

Aspects of Change Among Female Migrants: The Case of Kukis in Delhi

“…Christianity, which came to the Kukis a century ago, broadened the ‘geographical horizon’ of Kuki women (Sitlhou, 2015, p. 112). While it is true that some traditional practices remain unchanged, it is also equally true that the church through its educational activities and women’s organizations empowered women to a certain extent.…”