Gendered Citizenship, Religious Identity, and Political Structuring: Re-Theorising Feminist Subjectivity in Why I Am a Hindu Woman

Abstract

The article discusses Why I Am a Hindu Woman by Nivedita Menon, using feminist political theory, intersectionality, and postcolonial citizenship studies to argue that religious identity is not culturally inherited but rather politically structured. Implementing the concepts of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), feminist nationalism (Mohanty, 2015), state-gender theory (Rao, 2018), and decolonial feminist thought (Tuck and Yang, 2012/2018; Whyte, 2018), the article argues that the category “Hindu Woman” is created as a political subject through intersections with institutional power, nationalist discourses, and gendered governance. Instead of validating religious identity as an essential inner self, Menon's article reveals its connection to the law, majoritarian fears, and nationalist movements. The article argues that the State-Religion-Gender Triad is a conceptual framework to explain the construction of feminine subjects in majoritarian regimes. By using Menon’s piece within the existing debate on issues such as secularism, citizenship, and feminist resistance, the article contributes to feminist political theory. It maps the identity-formation debate in post-colonial democracies.