ABSTRACT
The voice of the common people has been silenced for a long time in history, although in recent times, attempts have been made to bring the common people to the forefront. Nevertheless, a significant section of women’s history, especially of those on the margins, considered the ‘other’ woman in the construction of middle-class women, remains invisible. Having greater access to the public sphere, these women were relatively independent and not so clearly contained by caste, class, gender or by a demarcated space. Hence, they were considered ‘threatening’. Bringing these women as subjects in history would unsettle the ‘respectable’ middle-class discourse. An important section of society that has been excluded from history are women performers. Nationalist discourses have always negated or erased their creative aspect by putting them out of the framework of the ‘respectable’ nation. This chapter brings to the forefront one such performing community, that of the courtesans, a section of women belonging to the singing and dancing community. Unfortunately, little remains of the writings of these women, who were considered to be the most educated women of their times. This chapter, by looking at the role of a courtesan, Azeezun, in the 1857
Rebellion in Kanpur, tries to add a significant dimension to the historiography of the 1857 Rebellion. Generally, the study of ‘ordinary rebels’ of the 1857 Rebellion remains focused on the participation of men. Unlike in the case of leaders such as Rani Laxmibai, the participation of ordinary women has received little attention in most discussions of the Rebellion. There is historical evidence of courtesans playing a significant role in politics, but they remain invisibilized in mainstream history.1 By looking at the role of courtesans, this chapter questions the positions of imperialist and nationalist historiography, which have projected courtesans as ‘morally loose’ women.
