Behl, Natasha. Gendered Citizenship: Understanding Gendered Violence in Democratic India. Oxford University Press, 2019.

Abstract

Natasha Behl’s Gendered Citizenship is a fresh and rich contribution to the emerging literature of gender studies. She focuses on the gender-aspect of the concept of citizenship, especially in the context of Indian democracy. She juxtaposes the high claims of democracy of the Indian state with the local realities of culture, religion, and caste system. Beginning with a cold-blooded incident of rape of a young woman traveling on a local bus, Behl employs the ethnographic methodological approach to demonstrate the lived experiences, meaning-making processes, and self-reflexivity of women in the public spheres of the country.