Borders & Boundaries: Women in India's Partition

by Ritu Bhasin, Kamala menon

IN 1947 India was simultaneously freed and divided. The departure of the British was accompanied by a bloody partition in which one million people perished and over ten million were displaced in the largest peace-time mass migration this century has recorded. Borders & Boundaries attempts a feminist reading of Partition providing, for the first time, testimonies and memories of women caught in the turmoil of the time.

The authors make women not only visible, but central, by looking at the general experience of violence, dislocation and displacement from a gendered perspective. Interviews with women survivors, social workers, government functionaries form the core of the book, supplemented by a narrative based on documents, confidential reports, parliamentary debates, letters and diaries. The women s accounts are vivid with memories of loss and violence, the experience of abduction and widowhood, of rehabilitation and, sometimes, even liberation. The counterpointing of their voices with others, official and non-official, highlights the relationship between women, communities and the state; between women and their families; and between women and their men.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, India, Feminism, Pakistan, Politics, Asia

274 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Nav Sohi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting glimpse at to what women endured during the 1947 partition. I read this book, because I wanted to learn more about the topic. After reading this book, I learned why my grandmother was never able to speak about her experiences during the partition.

[Reena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of the more difficult books I've read, and easily the book that took me the longest to get through. The main reasons being: it is so packed with facts & figures of Partition history that I did not want to miss a beat although I probably have to go back to it a few times even now; it is a disturbing subject given what happened to women as a result of Partition, both at the hands of the "other" but perhaps more tragically at the hands of their own families and country; and finally because the subject makes for dry reading with heavy tracts of feminist theory thrown in, much of which I agree with but makes for the feeling of being lectured.
This is also perhaps one of the most important books written about the 1947 Partition of India and its aftermath. If the subject of India's Partition is of interest then this is a must read. I don't think I will ever stop being amazed at how well we (at least in India) have kept under wraps what was done unto women during Partition -- not just by the "other side" but by those who were their own, and how that gruesome tragedy multiplied even after Partition when women continued to be treated like objects who had no say, no agency whatsoever in deciding their own destinies, yet continued to carry the entire burden of a ridiculously fragile 'honor' placed squarely on their shoulders! Read, be amazed - and fume!

[Nikhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.

Using interviews with Paritition survivors, social workers, and family members, Ritu Menon constructs a feminist history of Partition. The book is structured into chapters around specific themes (e.g. acceptable violence against women, experiences of widows, etc.); each chapter begins with interviews and concludes with an analysis that creates a feminist reading of Partition. By doing so, Menon interrogates the relationship betwen women and the nascent states of South Asia in 1947, the relationship between women and their communities, and the relationship between women and their families. Community (religious and ethnic), family, and national identity all come into conflict for women (much less so for men), and the manner in which women and the state negotiate these conflicts provide insight into the way patriarchal structures were reified by the new states and the roles women played (and continue to play) as boundary markers of community and nation.

The discussions around acceptable violence against women (family members and communities killing women rather than allowing them to be "dishonored") and the state's role in "recovering" women from the neighboring state are particularly illuminating. Familial and national memory in South Asia celebrate the women who "sacrificed" and "killed themselves" to preserve the community honor during Partition. Male family members remain silent about any possible reservations women may have had, instead presenting the history as a single narrative of women choosing death over dishonor. The state does not view these killings as murder. The historical memory is very similar to, for instance, historical memory about Rani Padmini, etc. The interviews reveal a standard feminist criticism of these events: the women faced limited choices, if any, and the killings are societally acceptable femicide. While few statistics remain, I would be interested in decomposing Partition violence to understand what fraction of deaths were within-community.

The state's role in women's "recovery" similarly suborns the desires of women to the perverse logic of community honor. Many women who were abducted during Partition made new lives for themselves, lives that may have been more freeing than the confining lives they would have lived in their own communities, but were denied the right to live where they chose, being forcibly repatriated. Of note is that the women social workers who were participating in these efforts all came to understand that the state was not acting in the interests of these women, all voicing concerns and protests to superiors. The state's action in these cases, abrogated the civil rights of women as citizens in favor of defining women as religious subjects, something that the lawmakers at the time explicitly understood (see the debates in the Lok Sabha), and something that continues to this day. In so doing, the state embodies the fraternal brotherhood of male citizens maintaining control over women's bodies and reproduction.

One of the standout features of the book are the extensive interviews reproduced in full. The women they interview have amazing stories to tell. All the interviewees have theories of why Partition happened that they explain at length. A remarkable consistency in the interviews is the anger and blame these women direct towards Hindu orthodoxy and its role in poisoning relations between people. The book is worth reading for the final interview with Taran alone, where she voices the need to make petrol bombs at age 55 because the state has abrogated its responsibility in protecting her rights as a citizen and she will be damned if she doesn't kill her attackers this time around.

I wish there had been a bit more in the book about survey design -- how did they find the women to interview? what are these womens demographic characteristics? are the women they interview overrepresenting certain classes/groups, are they basing their analysis on a single interview, or multiple interviews with similar themes?, etc. Regardless, the book is essential reading.

[Roberta Villalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's one of the best books i've ever read - beyond the disciplinary boundaries of sociology...this book changed my life, how i thought of my life until then, and what i decided to do with it after...read it!

[Brooklynn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great source for my history project on women in partition! I googled some of the social workers and people mentioned in the interviews but I can't find hardly any other research done on their lives which is sad and surprising because their stories are so incredible and complex. Which makes me think there are so many brave and tragic stories these women from partition could tell that would greatly benefit humanity, but are lost in history...

[Meihan Liu]

Two chapters as course assignment and I am done with the book. That must be how Kennan felt when as a Russia and Germany specialist he was reassigned to deal with East Asian affairs. I don't understand what the book is talking about. I cannot comprehend the subject.

[Geeta]

Beautifully and touchingly historically accurate account. This book brought me history, poetry and reunion and I'm ever grateful. This book reunited me with my very Delhi Dad, gave me some light of his life and what formed him. Some years back, I was aching for family and understanding my roots, my culture. So I traveled back to India to find and spend time with my father, who I did not grow up with. And in those conversations, I found out he grew up in refugee camps/ashrams as a child. The documentation in this book is so historically accurate, I found mention and documentation of the refugee camp/ashram my father grew up in after India's 1947 partition. Ended up taking my father back to the camp/ashram after 50+ years ... reuniting him with a piece of his history, reuniting my father and I, and bringing me that much closer to my father.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think this book has an important place in modern Indian history, I wish it were executed better. I feel like some of the points Menon makes are not convincing when it's based only on the oral history of one or two people. I also think the chapters aren't cohesive enough. That said, there are a lot of interesting aspects of the history of partition that I hadn't known about or considered before.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

perhaps one of the most difficult books i’ve ever had to read as a punjabi woman — menon and bhasin’s research into providing the horrifying details of the lives of women during and after partition is commendable. it’s such an incredibly difficult topic to discuss and consider esp. when the impact and legacy of partition is still present today. a must read for partition studies.

[Victoria McGuigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, I loved this book. Something about a historical narrative built and sustained by women speaks to me on a personal level.

How devastating was Partition and yet how diverse were its effects. Difficult read, but worth it, 110%.

Solid 10/10.

[আদ্যিকালের · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome in many sense. Will write a detailed review.

[Elsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I would have really loved this book if they'd given me enough time to finish it.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

another gem from Prof. Goswami

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real sober read, but very informative. I really enjoyed the information I gained from it.