Title: Constructing the Self at the Intersection of Gender and Caste: Understanding the Motivations of Marginalized Activist Women in India

Author (s):: Samarjeet S.; Bharti K.

Journal: Sex Roles

Month and Year: November 2023

Abstract: In the present qualitative study, we used self-presentation theory to examine how women from marginalized communities in India engage in self-presentation. Using semi-structured interviews of 18 Dalit women, including two Dalit transwomen, we explore factors shaping their self-presentation motivations and behavior. While most self-presentation research has focused on audience-pleasing motives, the current study is focused on self-construction motives. Using a grounded theory approach, we identify and explicate four themes: independent voices and bold choices, building solidarity through empathy and social capital, discriminatory practices and labeling, and mental wellbeing and self-care under discrimination. The narratives highlight the strategies these Dalit women and Dalit transwomen adopt to construct and present an authentic self in a complex and negotiated Dalit and Dalit trans activism space. Findings have implications for creating diversity awareness where a narrow understanding of intersectionality prevails, ensuring recognition of independent political expression and visibility of Dalit women and Dalit transwomen and the challenges thereof. These findings can inform policymakers, activists, and social workers on the changing psychosocial dynamics in the activism space and re-examine its structure and process. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Document Type: Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01434-1