Women’s History: An Overview of Early Malayalam Periodicals for Women

Abstract

‘Pennezhuthu’ (feminist writing or écriture feminine) entered common parlance in Kerala from the introduction written by the Malayalam poet cum critic Satchidanandan for a collection of short stories by writer and activist, Sarah Joseph. The term came to be used to condemn feminist writings in general. The original term, écriture feminine, was used by Helene Cixous suggesting that writings by women writers tend to show up the differences in women’s world that undermine the phallogocentric logic and utilise free and flowing styles like the stream of consciousness. It was a means of escape for women or an antithesis to masculine writing. However, pennezhuthu does not differentiate among different types of women’s writing, like feminine writing, feminist writing, or écriture feminine. The world we are allowed to see through women’s periodicals in Malayalam is vivacious, fascinating and fraught with tensions. The article undertakes an in-depth historical reading of early Malayalam periodicals for women in tandem with the socio-cultural changes in Kerala society and women’s history.