Woman Suffrage in Bengal (1921–1925)
The ‘Great Game’ Between the Imperialists and the Theosophists
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20179656 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nivedita Das (Department of History, Sivanath Sastri College, Calcutta University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 273-291 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Indian Historical Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0376-9836 • E-ISSN: 0975-5977 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/03769836221140203 |
| OpenAlex | W4310297340 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 18 |
In 1921, the Bengal Legislative Council defeated the Woman Suffrage Bill. It created quite a stir because Bengal showed strong opposition to the Bill, in spite of its reputation for being receptive to progressive thought. The bafflement was complete when the same Bill was passed in the Bengal Legislative Council in 1925. Longstanding social taboos and attitudes do not change within 4 years. Therefore, the explanation for the curious voting pattern has to be sought in Bengal politics. Very little research has hitherto been devoted to this episode of Indian history. Feminist historians of 1970s were satisfied when the Indian male’s purported social orthodoxy were repeatedly cited as a blanket explanation for all regressive obstructions. In 1978, Brian Harrison suggested that British Imperial resistance to woman suffrage was essentially a crusade against communism. Although Harrison’s work gave rise to a vigorous reinvestigation of anti-suffragist movement in England, no similar enquiry about anti-suffragist movement in India was carried out. The article investigates why and how the British Raj opposed woman suffrage in India, when principal supporters of woman suffrage was the Theosophical Society, considered to be a shady Russian-funded mischief-making organisation by British Intelligence
BENGAL · Communism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Suffrage · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Gender Studies · History · Law
The Guardians
Bengal Divided
The Sole Spokesman
Early Feminists of Colonial India
Soviet Strategies in Southeast Asia
British women's anti-suffragism and the forward policy, 1908-14
Feminism, imperialism and race
Relating feminisms, nationalisms and imperialisms
Indian suffragettes
Only Be Ye Strong and Very Courageous
Writingstri dharma
Geneva - the key to equality
Bengal Women's Education League
Colonial Politics and Women's Rights
The awakened instinct
The Politics of Divine Wisdom, Theosophy and Labour, National and Women's Movements in Indonesia and South Asia 1875-1947
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |