Religion, nationalism, and gender: Perspective from South Asia

Abstract

Religious mobilization often takes the form of engagement with “the woman question”: how should women as carriers of culture comport themselves? This article shows that many of the debates over the role of women and religion in South Asia are misunderstood when they are seen as instances of religious fundamentalism. Rather, the theoretical framework to make sense of public religion and gender debates should be through the lens of postcolonial nationalism. The creation and consolidation of the nation is what is at stake—not the creation of the religious community as such. In order to make this argument, the article offers both a review of the literature on secularism and gender as well as short case studies from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These three former British colonies have each struggled to arrive at a secular settlement and often the contestation over the place of religion has centered on the rules and roles of women in these societies.

Misogyny in election discourse: Analysing the 2019 General Elections in India

“…In the Global South, women’s rights have been curtailed owing to the strong influence of local traditions, religion and dominant cultural values (Deo, 2022; Gandhi, 1988). Colonial experience has also shaped the nature of gender relations and oppression faced by women in these countries (Roberts and Connell, 2016).…”