Women at the Crossroads: The Intersectional Dynamics of Women’s Movements in Assam

The paper explores the mobilisation, interdependence, and organisation of the women's movement in Assam, locating it from the landmark events of the Assam Movement through a feminist lens. Instead of positioning women as passive recipients in Assam’s conflict-ridden areas, it captures the feminist recovery in the state’s men-led political movement. The study points out that while male leadership in Assam’s movements often relied on women’s involvement, women’s specific demands were frequently overlooked, and their voices were marginalised. In response, women have sought to reclaim their agency and narrate an alternative history. However, the social basis of the women’s movement is neither class nor ethnic minority but based on shared social circumstances. Therefore, studying the women’s movement in Assam, this paper considered an essential concern of feminism: dissimilarities and contrasting factors among women, depicting that gender alone does not marginalise. With a focus on this research gap, this study underscores the importance of an intersectional approach to understanding the fractured solidarity within Assam’s women’s movement, addressing a significant gap in feminist writing.