Gender and Ethnicity in the Global South: an Analysis of the Struggles of Women Tribal Leader in a Graded Indian Society

Gender and Ethnicity in the Global South: An analysis of the struggles of women tribal leader in a graded Indian society Mochish KS Doctoral Candidate School of Media and Cultural Studies Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Unique apparatus of exploitations and the societal contradictions rather than diversity and peaceful coexistence are making India distinctive from the rest of the world in the 21st century. The society is distinctly stratified along the lines of caste, gender, class, ethnicity, language etc. to name a few. Specifically, the discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, caste and gender has been marked and inexorable. According to Dr. B.R Ambedkar “Caste system is social division of people of the same race” (Ambedkar, 1936). The caste system which has its origins in the Hindu mythology is a system where castes are hierarchically organized on the basis of rules of ritual purity and pollution. This system has had a serious impact on the socio-economic lives of the people as it regulates one’s access to better life and equal social status. This system of social division is also highly patriarchal in nature and has functioned as an oppressive tool for centuries in the Indian society. So, the discrimination along the lines of gender and ethnicity has deep rooted connections with the existing social hierarchy which makes the degree of oppression even more ruthless. This paper will examine the public response towards the struggles of C.K. Janu who led the historic struggles for land for the tribals of Kerala and commands a high regard among them. Tribals are untouchable groups according to the laws of the dominant Hindu religion in the country. Ms. C K Janu is an illiterate, born in a very poor tribal family of Wayanad, Kerala, the southern state in the Indian Union. She emerged as a strong leader of a mass movement against all odds of gender and caste hierarchy prevalent in the Kerala society. The analysis will be based on the Malayalam1 newspaper reports, articles and editorials on the Muthanga land struggles of 2003. The print in Kerala has a rich heritage of plurality and vibrancy that allowed them to occupy a significant position the in the media history of the country. The print history demonstrates that the media in Kerala has championed in achieving an inclusive readership in the early periods among various social groups unlike in other Indian states. 1 Native language of Kerala state This paper will explore the reportage of the popular Malayalam newspapers towards the struggles of C.K. Janu, for which I am looking at four major newspapers in Malayalam. These are Deepika (1887), Malayala Manorama (1888), Mathrubhumi (1923), and Kerala Kaumudi (1911). Their wide circulation and consumption among the public shows the significance of these dailies in the public sphere of Kerala society. The initial analysis of the media archives shows that, on the whole, the strength of newspapers has historically contributed to the vitality of Kerala’s political society. Yet, on key agendas, such as gender and caste a section of newspapers played a complex, and sometimes regressive, role. With respect to these critical agendas, newspaper reporting reflected the sharp contestations that marked the political arena. As a result, progressive movements in Kerala, most notably the tribal movement, had to fight not just the lobbies of the landlords, elite and the state, but also the powerful media groups aligned with them. CK Janu’s rightful fight for her as well as the land of her people can be considered a courageous act that entailed transgressing the social boundaries that were assigned to her. She challenged the oppressive social structures at more than one levels. For a tribal woman to come out and assume the leadership of a land struggle, and doing so in the public domain when women were strictly relegated to the private domain, is not something, which can be termed as routine or common place. This act entailed challenging and opposing the oppressive structures working to maintain caste, class and gender discrimination. Keywords: Ethnicity, Gender, Media, Graded Society .

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