Saving Sita: The Ramayana and Gender Narratives in Postcolonial Hindu Nationalism

Abstract

This thesis examines the role that the Hindu epic the «em»Ramayana«/em» plays in shaping the relationship between conservative Hindu Indian nationalism and gender in post-colonial India. It demonstrates how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has manipulated understandings of the Ramayana to best serve its political aims since 1980, and to further an inherently sexist and discriminatory agenda.«br /» «br /» Chapter One outlines the role of exclusionary narrative in constructing national identity along conservative and fundamentalist lines. Drawing from this, it goes on to present and expand upon the key research questions explored in this thesis. Chapter Two examines the various relevant fields of literature which are involved in this discussion. Chapter Three outlines the key methodological fields from which this thesis draws as an intersectional study. Chapter Four analyses Valmiki’s Ramayana in considering its depiction of gender constructs, and touches upon the significance of the 1987 Ramayan television serial by Ramanand Sagar. Chapter Five explores the role of gender in the Indian Independence movement and the development of Hindu nationalism. It then examines postcolonial secularism and nationalism, and women’s rights till the BJP’s founding in 1980.«br /» «br /» Chapter Six focuses on India, the rise of the BJP, and the shape of women’s issues over the past forty years. Chapter Seven focuses upon three separate endeavours to approach the Ramayana«em» «/em»from unconventional perspectives, one of which is my experience writing and directing the 2014 production Fire to Earth«em» «/em»with the UNSW Indian Society. Chapter Eight outlines the BJP’s attempts to moderate in recent years, summarises the current state of women’s affairs, and concludes by highlighting some of the lacunae that still need to be addressed in this field.«br /» «br /» This thesis situates itself at the intersection of Ramayana studies, Indian women’s studies, and postcolonial Indian politics. It takes a multifaceted methodological approach to answering its principal questions, incorporating narrative studies, politics, gender studies, and literature studies. I acknowledge the numerous perspectives in these fields and synthesise their various contributions to illustrate the deep-rooted connections between Hindu nationalism, gender exclusion and oppression, and the Ramayana.