Book review: Exploring women’s autobiographies across cultures and contexts

By Prof. Ravi Ranjan*

The Hindi book Chuppiyaan Aur Daraarein - Stree Aatmakatha: Paath Aur Saiddhantiki (Silences and Gaps- A Debate on Women’s Autobiography: Text and Theory) by Garima Srivastava is a compelling collection of nine reflective research essays that explore women’s autobiographies across Indian languages and Black women’s narratives, offering a profound analysis of caste, class, gender, and religion as lenses to understand these works. Distinct from Prabha Khetan’s Women in the Colony, this book stands out for its expansive scope, examining autobiographies in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and beyond, alongside Black women’s narratives, to address issues of oppression, resistance, and identity.

Srivastava rejects the notion of autobiography as self-indulgence, arguing, with feminist thinker Julia Swindells, that it is a potent genre for asserting the voices of the oppressed. She highlights the complexity of women’s experiences shaped by intersecting identities, noting, “Despite the shared institutional experience of patriarchy, differences in caste, class, and religion make women’s experiences relatively more complex, intense, oppressive, and distinct” (p. 7). The book situates its analysis in the context of the 1980s, a period marked by renewed focus on caste, gender, and class-based discrimination, and draws on the 1995 Beijing Declaration’s call for gender equality as a global imperative.

The first chapter, “Unheard Voices – The Culture of Resistance,” opens with Simone de Beauvoir, emphasizing that autobiographies by women like Bahinabai, Pandita Ramabai, and Snehmayi Chaudhary are creative expressions of anger and resistance. Srivastava consciously avoids Eurocentrism, citing Indian thinkers like Premchand, who viewed autobiography as revealing “life-truth” and personal struggles, though she disagrees with his perspective on its creative intent in postmodern women’s narratives. She also references Manager Pandey’s observation that social structures limit women’s truth-telling, underscoring the authenticity derived from lived experience.

The book’s methodology, informed by Lucien Goldmann’s sociological approach, views women’s autobiographies as both personal discoveries and communal stories. Srivastava contrasts this with men’s autobiographies, noting that while some, like Laxman Gaikwad’s Uthaigir, reflect community narratives, others, like Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s, focus on individual lives. Quoting Michel Foucault and Walter Benjamin, she positions women’s self-expression as a tool for ideological and political struggle, shaped by enduring memories of joy and suffering.

Subsequent chapters delve into specific linguistic and cultural contexts. The third chapter examines upper-caste women’s autobiographies, such as Rassundari Devi’s Amar Jiban (1868) and A. Satyavati’s Atmacharitamu (1934), highlighting their struggles within patriarchal systems. The fourth chapter traces Bengali women’s autobiographies across six historical phases, from Swarnakumari Devi to Taslima Nasrin, revealing socio-psychological tensions. The fifth and sixth chapters explore Malayalam and Kannada women’s narratives, respectively, addressing self-censorship, disability, and autonomy, with poignant examples like P.K. Rosy’s Dalit experience in Malayalam cinema and Bhargavi Narayan’s reflections on marriage and theater.

The seventh chapter sensitively analyzes Muslim women’s autobiographies, exploring themes of veiling, sexuality, and community censorship, with vivid examples from Abida Sultan and Mallika Amar Shaikh. The eighth chapter, on Dalit women’s autobiographies, describes them as “testimonios,” citing works like Babitai Kamble’s Jivan Hamara and Viramma’s Life of an Untouchable for their critique of both external and internal patriarchal practices. The final chapter on Black women’s autobiographies, from Belinda to Maya Angelou, underscores their role in challenging male dominance and creating space for marginalized voices.

Srivastava’s work is a scholarly triumph, meticulously referenced per the Chicago Manual of Style (2024), a rarity in Hindi criticism. Described as a “Golden Treasury of Women’s Autobiographies,” it weaves excerpts from diverse narratives with rigorous analysis, evoking intellectual and emotional resonance. By addressing silences and gaps in women’s stories, it broadens readers’ sensibilities, making them more empathetic. This book is a must-read for scholars and readers interested in gender, literature, and social justice.

---

*Department of Hindi, University of Hyderabad

Comments

Garima Srivastava said…

Thank you Sir. it was a teadious work but I enjoyed thoroughly.this book contains ten chapters on women autobiographies including Preface.

September 23, 2025

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

Public responses to the niqab incident and Iltija Mufti’s legal complaint

By Raqif Makhdoomi* Following an incident in which the Chief Minister of Bihar was seen pulling aside the niqab of a Muslim woman doctor during a public interaction, the episode drew widespread attention and debate across India. Public reactions were divided, with some defending the action and others criticising it as an infringement on personal autonomy and dignity. The incident was widely circulated on social media and reported by national and international media outlets.

Search This Blog