MACMILLAN Persisting Patriarchy: Intersectionalities, Negotiations, Subversions (New Approaches to Religion and Power)

This book examines the operational dynamics of patriarchy that is deeply woven into the Indian cultural fabric and its persistence in spite of women advancing in Human Development Indices. In studying the situation of women of the Catholic Syrian Christian community of Kerala, South India, as a case of analysis, Kochurani Abraham identifies caste consciousness and religious prescriptions of this community as the main factors that intersect with gendered identity construction and succeed in keeping women within its patriarchal confines. While women do engage in negotiating patriarchy through what can be termed simulative, tactical, and ‘agensic’ bargains, this remains a ‘politics of survival’ as it does not challenge the established gender order.  In this context, making a shift from ‘politics of survival’ to a ‘politics of subversion’ is imperative for challenging persisting patriarchies.       Review “The present work is an extremely significant micro-study contributing to the complexity of global feminism. Through a punctilious field-research the author shows how a patriarchy embedded in caste and religion trumps education and economic stature of women. It debunks the general assumption of an invariable correlation between education and women’s emancipation. It is indeed an illuminating and stimulating volume on how deftly women negotiate and subvert a unique kind of patriarchy.” (Felix Wilfred, Emeritus Professor, State University of Madras, India) “Persisting Patriarchy examines the gender question, as it plays out in minority religious communities in the Indian context. Through her careful and considered evaluation of women's speech, familial and social roles, and their complex relationship to Church and faith, Kochurani Abraham shows us how faith, caste, and class shape women's self-perceptions, and how women, in turn, negotiate these structures in a meaningful yet poignant way. The book goes beyond customary feminist reflections on personal law and minority rights and instead addresses local configurations of patriarchal power.” (V. Geetha, feminist historian, author of Undoing Impunity: Speech after Sexual Violence) From the Back Cover This book examines the operational dynamics of patriarchy that is deeply woven into the Indian cultural fabric and its persistence in spite of women advancing in Human Development Indices. In studying the situation of women of the Catholic Syrian Christian community of Kerala, South India, as a case of analysis, Kochurani Abraham identifies caste consciousness and religious prescriptions of this community as the main factors that intersect with gendered identity construction and succeed in keeping women within its patriarchal confines. While women do engage in negotiating patriarchy through what can be termed simulative, tactical, and ‘agensic’ bargains, this remains a ‘politics of survival’ as it does not challenge the established gender order.  In this context, making a shift from ‘politics of survival’ to a ‘politics of subversion’ is imperative for challenging persisting patriarchies. About the Author Kochurani Abraham is a feminist theologian and gender researcher from Kerala, India. At present she is the National Convener of the Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) and the Vice-President of the Indian Theological Association (ITA). Her research interests include gender, ecology, spirituality and transformative education.