Women in Early Modern Bengal: Some Perspectives on Social and Gender Identity from the Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract

This work examines the social and gender identities of women in early modern Bengal, spanning from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The first major perspective begins with a discussion of women in the domestic sphere, revealing the pattern of restrictions and liberties that women experienced within their households. The second important aspect highlights the gender relations of women within social and domestic boundaries. It also defines women-centric performances and customs, in which women either played positive gender roles or barely survived under exploitative social norms. Another significant emphasis of this work is on the emergence of Goddess faith in the mid-seventeenth century, which transformed the socio-religious identity of women in early modern Bengal compared to preceding centuries. It has been generalised that, although women gained some prominence after the rise of the Goddess faith, they still had to abide by social norms in both private and public spheres.