The Right-Wing Hindu Woman

The recent visible communalization of women has inward and outward manifestations. The militant, sword-wielding, sari-clad saviour of the Hindu faith is one; a strong tendency against any critique of "customs and tradition", religion and community identity is another. This monograph attempts to analyze and understand the factors responsible for this state of affairs in the two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat; to differentiate between the nature of women's wings, fronts, squads within the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janta Party, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the RSS, and the Bajrang Dal; to place this communalization in the context of increasing fundamentalism and a right-wing political economy, as well as of beliefs and customs that women are socialized into. This book is based on historical source material, interviews, reports and documents.