Marriage and Sexuality

Abstract

In India, as in the West, sexuality has been a major political issue for feminists as well as a source of divisions among them. Given the enormous efforts that have historically been made to control female sexuality — from chastity belts in Europe to purdah in India -it is not difficult to see why sexuality should be such a central feminist concern. This introduction briefly outlines some of the key issues and debates, as well as identifying points of convergence and difference between Western and Indian feminist views of marriage and sexuality.