Feminism – NICKELED AND DIMED

Gendered Borders: Feminizing Vulnerability & Masculizing Threat

By – Anisha Jyotirmyayee Abstract This article conceptualises borders as gendered social institutions regulating mobility through narratives of protection. It theorises borders as gendered metaphors themselves and characterizes this in the reality of gendered borders of feminizing vulnerability and masculinizing danger. Drawing on the theory of bio politics of Michel Foucault, it argues that the…
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Gendered State and Parochial laws: The Rape that a State Commits

By – Manushree Mahat Abstract The gendered state spills over into law and policymaking when it comes to gendered-based violence(GBV)- which is predominantly observed in the language of sexual violence and rape laws. While the scope of definition of rape, and the severity of its consequential punishment has expanded over the years–it still remains largely…
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Protecting Women, Preserving Hierarchies: Paternalism and the Gendered Indian State

By – Kadambari Chand Abstract This article conceptualises the idea that while the modern state’s policies are cloaked in the rhetoric of protecting women, in reality, they undermine their bodily and sexual autonomy, relegating them to the status of subordinate subjects of the state. This subordination is brought by using both formal legal systems and…
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Marital Rape and Primitive Accumulation in India: Part 1

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract: This article applies a Marxist-Feminist framework to understand how marital rape unveils the reality of what bodily autonomy is regarded as in India, displaying how it inherently shapes the discourse around women’s personal sovereignty. It will argue that marital rape is used as a tool to continue the primitive accumulation…
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The Politics Written on Skin: Reclaiming Bodily Autonomy as Feminist Politics

By – Chinmayi J. Abstract A fundamental issue in feminist and gender justice discourse is bodily autonomy. However, concepts such as the state, capitalism, caste, race, religion, and patriarchy all interact to shape this unequal distribution of autonomy. This article explores bodily autonomy as a contentious area within the gender and social spectrum, contending that…
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Women and Romance: The Concept of a Soulmate

By — K.S. Prathignya Abstract: This article examines how certain romantic concepts such as the ‘soulmate’ often restrict the mobility of a woman’s autonomy. This leads to the strengthening of marriage as an institution due to the bargaining of a woman’s autonomy becoming a life-long process. Introduction Love refers to an emotion which includes strong…
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Fire and the Flames of Post-Colonial Feminism

By – Muskan Hossain Abstract Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) remains a landmark of post-colonial feminist cinema, challenging the patriarchal family and exposing the fragility of cultural nationalism. Through Radha and Sita’s intimate rebellion, the film critiques how women’s independence after 1947 remained bound to tradition and sacrifice. The backlash against Fire revealed how women’s desires…
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Over Socialisation mistaken for empathy: A critical analysis of the portrayal femininity in film

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract This article examines how cinema portrays and promotes qualities of over socialisation as a part of feminine standards, but often describes it as empathy instead. It argues that this internalisation of gender norms is a gradual process. Through a cross comparison between two forms of cinema, there is a connection…
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Liberal Feminism and Economic Hegemony – A Critical Analysis of Sydney Sweeney’s Bath Soap, the Commodification of Sex and Patriarchal Desire in Late Capitalist Markets

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract This article examines the commodification of women’s bodies under liberal feminism, using critical frameworks to correlate it with the recent controversy of Sydney Sweeney’s ‘bath-water soap’. This article argues that liberal feminism places ‘empowerment of a woman’ on her body, however her body is sold for the male gaze. This…
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‘Adolescence’ as a Mirror: Decoding the Digital Subcultures Shaping Young Minds

By : Vaidehi Sharma Abstract This article examines the digital indoctrination of teenage boys into toxic masculinity through online subcultures, as depicted in the series ‘Adolescence’. It explores the Manosphere and the incel subculture, and analyses how recommendation algorithms can steer impressionable adolescents toward harmful online communities. The article emphasises the urgent need for parental…
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Sati, Savitri and the Modern Hindu Woman

Myth breathes in the fabric of everyday life, binding Hindu women to the timeless figures of Sita, Draupadi, and Savitri. In a world that celebrates their endurance while silencing their dissent, mythology becomes less a source of inspiration and more a mirror of control. This article explores how ancient ideals persist under modern guises, shaping…
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Rituals of Resistance: Women, Funeral Rites, and the Challenge to Patriarchy

This article examines how funeral sites in India are deeply gendered spaces and argues that women’s participation in traditionally male funeral roles acts as an everyday form of resistance to patriarchy. Using the example of the Salem District’s Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) women, it explores how the feminization of rituals can drive meaningful structural change.…
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