Volume IV Special Issue IV April 2024

Name of Author : L. Virgin Francy

Title of the paper : Disclosing womens body politics in Indian marriage culture with reference to Meena Kandasamys When I Hit You Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife

Abstract: Body politics refers to the practices and policies through which powers of society control human body. The powers include the institutional power in government and personal power in intimate relationships. The human bodies are shaped and controlled by the norms and expectations of the gendered social order. In Indian culture marriage is an institution which has complete authority over womens body and there are many stereotypes attached it. Women are judged based on their appearance and chastity. The Indian Penal Code does not consider marital rape as a crime. It is believed in marriage women are considered as a property her husband could possess. The paper analyses womens body politics in Indian marriage culture with reference to Meena Kandasamys semi autobiographical novel When I Hit You Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife.

Keywords : Body Politics, Indian Marriage Culture, Marital Rape, Stereotypes, Abortion Rights

DOI :

Page Number : 35-39