Introduction

The research papers presented in this volume have emerged from the recent experience of organized attempts to brutally suppress Adivasi/Dalit/Minority ferment intersecting with organized attempts at communal polarization and promotion of communal hatred. Recurrent practices of dishonouring women in the name of community honour, and the virulent attacks on inter-faith marriages, do indeed appear to share features in common with violence against inter-caste marriages, albeit on a stridently political and communal register.

Key Issues

The adverse effects of politicization of religion on the advance of equality for women, and contemporary articulations of women’s rights from within minority communities, are all important issues dealt in this volume. The voices of these women of India cannot be ignored, for they are the ones who will chart the course of India’s future.

Conclusion

At once vigorously analytical and vividly written, Women among Marginalised Communities of India: Issues and Challenges is a must-read for anyone interested in safe-guarding India’s five thousand years of history. The facts revealed in this volume will invite many more debates among the scholars and policy makers.