Patriarchy and patriarchal customs in the Meitei Society of Manipur

Based on an auto-ethnographic insight and complementary ethnographic interactions with 52 women, we document and analyze the patriarchal customs in the Meitei society of Manipur; thereby challenging conventional wisdom which would have us believe that is replete with empowered women. We briefly comm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women's studies international forum 2023-01, Vol.96, p.102674, Article 102674
Main Authors: Khundrakpam, Prakash, Sarmah, Jayanta Krishna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emancipation
Feminism and counter-hegemonic resistance
Feminism and culture
Feminism in Manipur
Patriarchy in Meitei society
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Summary:Based on an auto-ethnographic insight and complementary ethnographic interactions with 52 women, we document and analyze the patriarchal customs in the Meitei society of Manipur; thereby challenging conventional wisdom which would have us believe that is replete with empowered women. We briefly comment on certain aspects of these customs including their relationship with the Sanskritization of the Meiteis and how they are affected by socio-economic indicators. We also identify two central mechanisms that legitimize such customs: the idea of touheidaba, which is the selective mystical prohibition/commandment of certain acts that cannot be committed/should be committed; and the eulogization of an “ideal Meitei woman”. Lastly, we locate such legitimizing mechanisms and the Meitei woman's response in extant literature on power, resistance, agency and consciousness; thereby seeking to construct a grounded emancipatory theory for the Meitei women.
ISSN:0277-5395
1879-243X
DOI:10.1016/j.wsif.2023.102674