I heard a very good talk today by Urvashi Butalia, a feminist historian. She talked about how history marginalises women's concerns. The talk was not on women in history but history from a woman's perspective. She specifically focussed on the history of partition. She highlighted how women were the principal victims by narrating 3 stories, and yet their (women's) plight does not find mention in the history records. This mainly depends on who writes history right! As its often said, history is written by the victorious. She raised this issue that history is much more than leaders and wars. It is also made by the people living that age. So looking into the lives which lived the trauma of partition would give us a richer history.
I used to feel this when I used to read Glimpses of world history. 200 years of a nation's history are summed up in 4 pages with major events highlighted. They say 'people lived through the worst, barbarous dynasties for over 100 years and then the regime changed'. Thats it. 100 years of hardship summed up in one line! Maybe thats why we have arts and culture so that the future generations have something other than wars, plagues and conspiracies to remember us by. This also gives us hope. We can always say "This too shall pass" ( I forget where I heard this. )
Anyway, it was a very clear, coherent talk. I liked it immensely. I admired her clear thinking. I think thats what separates the experts from the others in every field. The discussion which followed was the icing on the cake. A guy asked her what is feminism for her. She said that its the right to live her life on her own terms, the right to choose whats good for her and since it should apply to everyone, its actually humanism but humanists generally ignore the women :-D
4 comments:
Oh boy... I often have discussions with my dear mother about this!
Nothing like an inspiring and thought-provoking speaker :o)
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hmm..interesting..it would be great if someone would narrate history from a woman's perspective...for example napolean's wife and what she felt at her husband's achievement
Through generations and civilisations, women were kept under the control of men. They were hardly ever allowed to read and scholarly women were actually looked down with contempt. This being the case, how can we expect their perspective of anything to come out dear?
A simple case in point.. Helen of Troy was said to have caused the great war amongst trojans... she was never asked if a war needed to be fought for her. Her husband and Paris just decided to fight and kill each other an most of their friends to decide whose possession she was to become.Even mythology does not give women the right to decide..sighhh!!!
yeah u know she was talking abt a legislation that the indo-pak govts had passed that the abducted women be rehabltd. but this was carried out after some 5-6 yrs. by then women had setlled down with kids etc with the new family. so many had to leave them and go back to their original families- where they are anyway untouchables now (!! :( ??). The intention of the govts were right but the result was bad. I was thinking of the movie Pinjar when this was being discussed. have u seen it? its an adaptation of an amrita pritam novel. narrates a similar story
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