ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the complex entanglements between gender and caste, and the often convoluted positions that patriarchal Dalit organisations adopt towards women. It concerns the interplay between women, women's rights and Dalit politics by reference to the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the largest Dalit party in Tamil Nadu. The chapter focuses on the imagined unity of 'women'. Such movements, however, operated out of urban areas and were not permanently established in rural settings where gender violence is systemic. Penurimai Iyyakkam was strong in Madurai and, unlike many feminist movements in India, comprised Dalit and working women. The chapter outlines some of the significant changes that have occurred since 1999 before drawing on ethnographic data with grassroots women and concluding with a discussion on the status of Dalit women in the party. It focuses on the views and experiences of women and the actions of the party rather than on the attitudes of men.
