Speaking and Speaking Differently: Language as Resistance, Liberation and Celebration in Dalit Women’s Autobiographical Narratives

This article undertakes a close reading of Dalit women’s autobiographical narratives to underline the folly of generalizing Dalit women as helpless exploited beings and to explore other important aspects of their lives. It is the intent of this article to explore how Dalit women use specific linguistic expressions as a symbolic way of claiming their distinct identity which in consequence results in an act of resistance against the dominant linguistic culture of Brahminical inheritance. Gopal Guru states that Dalit women ‘talk differently’ (Guru, 2016, Economic & Political Weekly, 3042, 2548–2550), because their talking differently functions as a potential act of resistance against both casteism and patriarchy along with signifying a mark of distinct identity of their own. Furthermore, the article locates different passive strategies used by Dalit women to resist the oppressor in their everyday life, because, in many conditions, an open resistance is found to be counterproductive for them. Finally, the article investigates Dalit women’s strategies to carve a space for enjoyment and avenues of entertainment amid the pain and suffering, mostly in their work space. It is instructive to see how the work field, which is generally seen to be a place of pain and hard labour, is often used by Dalit women as a place of freedom and enjoyment.