Author: Soma Jash
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/PP/020400041
Abstract: Kimberlé Crenshaw created the idea of intersectionality, which offers a crucial framework for examining oppressive systems that overlap. The daily realities of Dalit women in India are shaped by a complex matrix of caste and gender. This essay explores the ways in which a few Dalit feminist authors—Bama, UrmilaPawar, Baby Kamble, Sivakami, and GoguShyamala—use their writing to express intersectional realities. The study makes the case that Dalit feminist writing broadens the definition of mainstream feminism by emphasizing caste as a key axis of power through an analysis of autobiographical narratives and fiction. The study emphasizes how these authors contribute to a more inclusive and grounded feminist discourse in India by challenging both internal patriarchy and upper-caste supremacy.The study uses autobiographical narratives and fiction to show how these authors critique patriarchy both inside and outside of marginalized communities while articulating the intersections of caste, gender, class, and labor. By highlighting caste as a primary axis of analysis and by stressing lived experience as a method of knowledge production, their works question the constraints of mainstream Indian feminism.The paper argues that Dalit feminist writing not only expands the scope of intersectionality in India but also redefines literary and political discourse by centering marginalized voices. Ultimately, it demonstrates that an intersectional approach is essential for understanding the complexities of social inequality and for envisioning a more inclusive and transformative feminist praxis in India.
Keywords: Dalit Feminist, Mainstream, Upper-Caste, Autobiographical, Marginalized, Communities.
Page No: 314-320