பாமா அவர்களின் 'மனுசி' நாவலில் தலித் பெண்ணியச் சிந்தனைகளும் தனித்து வாழும் பெண்ணின் சமூகப் போராட்டங்களும்: ஒரு விரிவான ஆய்வு

Abstract

Focusing on the novel Manusi (2012) by writer Bama, one of the most significant figures in contemporary Tamil literature, this article extensively explores Dalit feminist perspectives. Although remnants of matriarchy from ancient Tamil society persist today, female subjugation continues in modern contexts through the denial of education, child marriage, and social exclusion. The novel's protagonist, Rasathi, is portrayed as a revolutionary woman who, remaining unmarried past the age of thirty, achieves autonomy through her education and labour. This study analyses Rasathi's life struggles, caste-based oppression, and the psychological challenges she faces using Sharmila Rege's Dalit Feminist Standpoint Theory and P. Mangalam's concept of Spatial Autonomy, and situates the novel within the wider field of Dalit feminist literary scholarship, including comparative readings of Sangati, Karukku, and the sociology of single womanhood in contemporary India.