Sexuality, Obscenity and Community

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 1-29

3. Redefining Obscenity and Aesthetics in Print

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 30-84

4. Sanitising Women’s Social Space

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 85-122

5. Mapping the Domestic Domain

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 123-195

6. The Icon of the Mother: Bharat Mata, Matri Bhasha and Gua Mata

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 196-221

7. ‘Us’ and ‘Them’: Anxious Hindu Masculinity and the ‘Other’

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 222-267

8. Hindu Women, Muslim Men

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 268-320

9. Some Conclusions and Beyond

   • Charu Gupta

   Pages 321-329

10. Back Matter

    Pages 330-388

    PDF

Through analysis of an impressive array of 'low' and 'high' Hindu literatures, particularly pamphlets, tracts, newspapers, and archival data, Gupta explores the emerging discourse of gender and sexuality, which was essential to the development of notions of Hindu communitality and nationalism in the colonial period. The book offers an exceptionally nuanced account of Hindi gender politics.

• gender
• India
• oral discourse
• women

'...this is a good, solid and important work on Hindu identity and gender issues in North India. Once published, it is likely to attract - and merit - a lot of attention.' - Vasudha Dalmia, Professor of Hindi, University of California at Berkeley

'...this is an exceptionally interesting piece of work which should be published quickly as an excellent example of its genre.' - Chris Bayly, Vere-Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, Cambridge

'The author has shown most successfully how gender was central to the establishment of Hindu identity, how deep-seated were the separatist and communal developments which interacted with high politics to create the division of India...this is an outstanding piece of research...' - Francis Robinson, Professor of Indian History, Royal Holloway, University of London

'Charu Gupta, in this well-developed and extremely provocative work, turns the reader's attention to the role of gender...' - Leah Renold, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History

CHARU GUPTA is Reader at the University of Delhi. She received her Ph.D in History from the Oriental and African Studies Department, University of London and has published a number of articles on Hindu nationalism.