Listen to the Heron's Words: Reimagining Gender and Kinship in North India

Rating:
Summary: Women's Voices
Review: I read this book over a year ago, so I don't remember every detail. However...

You know how people say that women do not have a voice in male dominated societies, and one goal of feminism is to foster new voices for women, so that we may express ourselves and have a tradition of our own? Well, the idea in this book is that the women that these authors worked with do have a voice of their own. It may be subversive in their societies, it may often have to work through riddles, but it is there, and well-developed. And highly expressive.

The authors make the argument that in the study of gender relations, the subversive women's voices are assumed not to exist while in this case, they are present. If you're involved in gender studies and Indian Studies, this is a fine book and one which ought to be read frequently.

But even for someone not involved in these subject areas, these are clever women with entertaining songs and stories--I refer to both the authors and the Indian women here--which anyone can find wisdom in.