Two Faces of Protest: Contrasting Modes of Women's Activism in India

Amrita Basu's Two Faces of Protest examines Indian women's political activism, tracing the paths of two kinds of activism through extensive interviews and fieldwork. She finds that militancy has been fueled by sexual and class cleavages, combined with potentially rancorous ethnic division.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

This groundbreaking new work delves into the realm of Indian women's political activism, utilizing case studies of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal and Shramik Sangathana in Maharashtra. By examining institutional change at the state level and protest at the village level, Amrita Basu intricately traces the pathways of two distinct forms of political engagement among these women. Through extensive interviews with activists, government officials, and ordinary men and women, she uncovers that militancy has been fueled by pronounced sexual and class divisions, intertwined with potentially explosive ethnic divisions.

Thorough in its fieldwork and incisive in its political analysis, Two Faces of Protest presents a richly textured and empathetic portrayal of women's political activism in the Third World. This title proudly stands as part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, a testament to the publisher's commitment to seeking out and nurturing the brightest minds and providing them with a platform to express their ideas, reach a wider audience, and make a meaningful impact. With a backlist dating back to 1893, Voices Revived employs print-on-demand technology to resurrect high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship, making it accessible once again to scholars and enthusiasts alike. Originally published in 1992, this title continues to resonate with its timeless insights and important contributions to the study of women's political activism.

Weight: 635g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520366329