Subaltern Resistance and Gender Politics in the Selected Works of Mahasweta Devi
Author : T Indira and Dr. L Sangeetha
Abstract :
Mahasweta Devi stands as one of the most powerful literary voices representing the marginalized communities of India. Her writings foreground the struggles of tribal groups, lower-class laborers, and women who are oppressed by structures of class, caste, patriarchy, and state power. This article examines the themes of subaltern resistance and gender politics in Mahasweta Devi’s selected works: Mother of 1084, Rudali, Draupadi, and The Hunt. Through these narratives, Devi constructs a literary space where silenced voices speak against systemic injustice and patriarchal domination. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Subaltern Studies and feminist criticism, the paper explores how Devi portrays women not merely as victims but as agents of resistance. The analysis demonstrates how characters such as Dopdi Mejhen, Sanichari, Mary Oraon, and Sujata challenge oppressive social structures and assert their identities in defiance of political violence and gender discrimination. The article also investigates how Devi’s narrative strategies reveal the lived realities of marginalized communities and question dominant historical narratives. By highlighting the intersection of gender, class, and tribal identity, the selected works expose the mechanisms of social exclusion while celebrating acts of defiance and survival. Ultimately, this study argues that Mahasweta Devi’s fiction functions as a powerful form of literary activism that gives voice to the oppressed and redefines the politics of representation in Indian literature. The works thus become significant sites for understanding resistance literature and feminist subaltern discourse in the context of postcolonial India.
Keywords :
Mahasweta Devi, Subaltern Studies, Gender Politics, Resistance, Marginalization, Tribal Identity, Feminist Discourse.
