Course Glossary

A system of oppression that discriminates against individuals and communities based on race, often privileging white people while marginalizing people of color. Racism operates structurally, institutionally, and culturally, affecting access to resources, rights, and opportunities.

One of the primary objectives of feminist historiography is to recover the histories of women who have been erased or marginalized in traditional narratives. In India, this has involved excavating the roles of women in various historical periods, from ancient and medieval times to the colonial and postcolonial eras. For instance, scholars like Uma Chakravarti and Kumkum Roy have highlighted the contributions of women in early Indian history, such as the Buddhist bhikkhunis (nuns) and the courtesans of ancient India, who played significant cultural and intellectual roles

Refugees in queer community are the people who have fled from their home country due to the fear of persecution because of sexual orientation and seek asylum in other countries where they can live more freely and safely.

Feminist historiography also seeks to reinterpret well-known historical events from a gender- sensitive perspective. For example, the Partition of India in 1947, often narrated as a political and territorial division, has been re-examined by feminist historians like Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon to highlight the experiences of women who faced violence, displacement, and loss during this period (Butalia, 1998; Menon & Bhasin, 1998). These accounts reveal how women’s bodies became sites of communal violence and national honor, challenging the dominant narratives of Partition that often ignore gendered dimensions.

The right to have children, not to have children, and to raise children in safe environments (Ross, 2006).