Examining Caste Through Life History Interviews in Baroda Dissertation
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Women’s Lives, Women’s Stories: Examining Caste Through Life History Interviews in Baroda Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Varsha Sanjeev Chitnis Graduate Program in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Mytheli Sreenivas, Advisor Jill Bystydzienski Amy Shuman Shannon Winnubst Copyright by Varsha Sanjeev Chitnis 2014 Abstract This project rethinks caste by incorporating the voices and experiences of upper caste women. I use life history method to examine the intersections of caste, class and gender in the lives of Marathi-speaking, upper caste women in the city of Baroda, in Western Indian state of Gujarat. In examining these life history narratives, I identify domesticity as one of the central organizing principles of both caste and gender, and examine the linkages between gender, caste, sexuality and labor as aspects of the ideology of domesticity. I argue that caste-based inequalities are sustained through the normalization of domestic relationships and domesticity, and call for the incorporation of the institutions of the family, marriage, labor, sexuality and domesticity within the purview of caste and anti-caste theories in contemporary India. In emphasizing the importance of domesticity to the sustenance of gender and caste hierarchies, this project draws attention to the political nature of domestic spaces and relationships. ii Dedication Dedicated to the memory of My grandmother, Leela Chitnis and my aunt, Hemalata Bendre, who inspired this project and My grandfather, Govind Keshav Chitnis, historian, author, thinker, and a lifelong inspiration. iii Acknowledgments This project, a culmination of six years of graduate work, has been a journey of building and cherishing relationships. In this spirit, I first want to thank my research participants who gave me their valuable time, and in sharing the intimate details of their lives, forged with me relationships of love, trust and respect. I extend my most sincere gratitude to Aparna Athale, Shobhana Deshpande, Shubhada Korde, Malati Kulkarni, Sushma Marathe, Saroj Mujumdar, Usha Mule, Kalpana Paralikar, Shubhangini Patankar and Snehalata Raje. The tenuousness of life and the elusiveness of oral histories were highlighted by the passing of Snehlata Raje in March 2013, which also underscored the urgency of recording women’s lives and their histories. I also want to extend a special note of thanks to Saroj Mujumdar, who graciously shared with me the life and work of Anandibai Jayawant and Akkasaheb (Lakshmibai) Mujumdar. This dissertation would never have been accomplished without the continued guidance and support of my advisor, Mytheli Sreenivas. Her unending support, and more importantly her patience and kindness, enabled me to push through the difficult patches that characterize the writing process. Her keen comments and feedback helped me sharpen my arguments and gave direction to my thinking. I will forever be indebted to her brilliance as a scholar and as an advisor. iv I want to thank the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and especially Professor and Chair Jill Bystydzienski for her kindness and support throughout the six years of graduate work, and for important comments and edits on the draft of my chapters. I thank the WGSS Department for awarding me the Elizabeth D. Gee Grant, and the College of Arts and Sciences at the Ohio State University for Dr. Gordon P.K. Chu Memorial Scholarship, both of which facilitated my travel to and fieldwork in Baroda. I am grateful to Professor Amy Shuman and Professor Shannon Winnubst, who are my academic and intellectual role models. I thank Andy Cavins, who has always been helpful and kind, and who ensured that there were no surprises or hurdles in the graduation process. I also thank Lexie Beer for helping me with the formatting of this document. During the course of my fieldwork in India I got much support from various members of the CKP community including (late) Vinay Pradhan who volunteered to help me with important translations from English to Marathi, and Dilip Khopkar, Ramesh Tavkar and Yatin Ambegaokar of the CKP caste association of Baroda. I am indebted to my cousin Nisha Deshpande and her husband Nitin Deshpande who have always valued my work and helped me in procuring rare books from Mumbai. I thank Praveenaben Vyas of the Central Library of Baroda and D. L. Kashikar of the Oriental Institute of Baroda who went out of their way to help me find materials for my research. In the spirit of this project which focuses on domesticity, I am also grateful to Chandrakala Joshi, Sangeeta Singh and Neeta Patel for sharing my domestic and childcare responsibilities and for doing it with love and care. v A special mention must be made of the lifelong support and contributions of my parents Smita Chitnis and Sanjeev Chitnis towards my academic career. I was pregnant when I conducted my fieldwork research. My parents not only cared for me, but also helped me during and after the fieldwork in my search for the written works of Anandibai Jayawant. Their appreciation of and pride for my work is humbling. This note would not be complete without a mention of Vaibhav, my husband and partner in the truest sense. He inspires, pushes and sometimes pesters me to do my best. He also shares with me all domestic and non-domestic responsibilities, which has enabled us both to thrive in the careers of our choice. His kind and selfless sensibilities deserve a silent but certain nod. My son Aaradhya inherits Vaibhav’s kindness and perceptiveness. He has not only filled our lives with true happiness but has also given us an opportunity to grow, as parents and as individuals. I could not have asked for a more cooperative baby whilst I wrote my dissertation. Finally, I want to thank my friends and peers who always keep me inspired with their intelligence and dedication towards their work: Skylar Bre’z, Stacia Kock, Ally Day and Brendan Shaw. vi Vita 1997................................................................B.A. Political Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda 1999................................................................M.A. Political Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda 2001-2003 ......................................................Teaching/Research Assistant, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gandhinagar 2004 ...............................................................Ph.D. Political Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda 2004-2006 ......................................................Assistant Professor of Political Science, Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar 2006-2008 ......................................................Visiting Research Scholar, Levin College of Law, University of Florida 2008-2014 ......................................................Graduate Research and Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University vii Awards Dr. Gordon P.K. Chu Memorial Award for International Travel: The Ohio State University, 2011-2012. Elizabeth D. Gee Grant for Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Research: The Ohio State University, 2011. University Research Fellowship for Ph.D.: The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, 2000-2001. Publications Chitnis, Varsha and Danaya Wright. 2007. ‘The Legacy of Colonialism: Law and Women’s Rights in India’. Washington and Lee Law Review 64(4): 1315-1348. Fields of Study Major Field: Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies viii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita .................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction: Rethinking Caste and Caste Epistemologies ................................................ 1 Why Upper Caste Women? Gender and Caste Epistemology ........................................ 2 Research Method and Caste Epistemology................................................................... 16 My Participants ............................................................................................................. 21 Historicizing Caste in Western India ............................................................................ 28 Situating Baroda within the History of Gender and Caste ............................................ 33 Chapter 1: Gender, Caste and Domesticity ...................................................................... 44 Caste, Class and Domesticity ........................................................................................ 47 The Ideological Foundations of Domesticity within the Caste System .................... 47 Caste and Women’s Labor ........................................................................................ 50 Historicizing Domesticity ............................................................................................. 57 The Emergence of Domesticity as an Ideology ........................................................ 57 ix Imperial