The Evolution of Women's Imaginations in Indian Nationalist Narratives since the Mid-19th Century
Since the Indian Rebellion of 1857,over a century of beginning,establishment,development,and growth of the Indian nationalist state,women have been deeply involved in shaping nationalism,supporting and nourishing various nationalist discourses,and serving the construction needs of the legitimacy of the Indian nationalist state.With changing times,the normative femininity in the Indian nationalist narratives have undergone significant changes.In the mid-to-late 19th century,facing the rule of British colonists and the impact of Western civilization discourse,indigenous nationalist elites in India associated the improvement of women's status with the process of national modernization,and constructed the"new woman"of India,distinct from the obsolete,lower-class woman and Western women.In the first half of the 20th century,"Mother India",as a metaphorical structure like"Motherland"and a personified expression of the nation,became a symbolic force for Indian nationalists to mobilize the nation and call upon men to fight.Patriotic"mothers"supported the nationalist cause by spinning cloth at home and boycotting foreign goods,becoming iconic figures of that era.During the partition of India(Bhārat kā Vibhājan),Indian nationalists constructed national narratives through the imagination of women's bodies,and it became the dual mission of women to protect national"purity"and"honor",with the"Indian women"exemplifying sacrifice,remaining chastity,and avoiding rape or sexually harassment by foreign invaders.After independence,on the one hand,with the acceleration of India's modernization,the"urban educated middle-class professional women"embodying both traditional and modern qualities have become representatives of India's outstanding citizens.On the other hand,women have also played an active role as instigators of Indian nationalist sentiment and awakening resistance among women to fight in the burgeoning Indian nationalist movement.
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