Purdah: Separate Worlds and Symbolic Shelter

Purdah, meaning curtain, is the word most commonly used for the system of secluding women and enforcing high standards of female modesty in much of South Asia. Purdah is an important part of the life experience of many South Asians, both Muslim and Hindu, and is a central feature of the social syste...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comparative studies in society and history 1973-06, Vol.15 (3), p.289-325
Main Author: Papanek, Hanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Burqas
Division of labor
Gender roles
Hindus
India/Indian/Indians
Islam/Islamic
Men
Muslims
Purdah
Religious practices
Respect
Segregation/Segregated/ Segregationist/ Segregationists
Villages
Woman/Women (see also Female)
Women and Social Controls
Working women
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Summary:Purdah, meaning curtain, is the word most commonly used for the system of secluding women and enforcing high standards of female modesty in much of South Asia. Purdah is an important part of the life experience of many South Asians, both Muslim and Hindu, and is a central feature of the social systems of the area. The crucial characteristic of the purdah system is its limitation on interaction between women and males outside certain well-defined categories, which differ among Muslims and Hindus. Muslim purdah restrictions do not apply within the immediate kin unit,but only outside it, while Hindu purdah is based on a set of avoidance rules between a woman and her male affines. Muslim seclusion begins at puberty, Hindu seclusion strictly speaking begins with marriage.
ISSN:0010-4175
1475-2999
1471-633X
DOI:10.1017/S001041750000712X