The Outsiders Within

The book conveys its central argument and asserts that the narratives of Dalit women are not merely 'sob stories' but develop a Dalit Feminist Standpoint. The exploration examines the marginalization of Dalit women, their subjectivity, lack of voice as reflected in the Dalit Movement, Dalit Literature, Indian feminism, and in their everyday lives. The depth and breadth of the research conducted for this book are impressive, which discusses standpoint in response to the Muted Group Theory, leads to the new import in sociology, and has been influential in broadening the feminist perspectives. Several theorists have adopted standpoint theory in carving a niche for themselves. The foundational work of numerous feminist standpoint theorists and critical thinkers, namely Sandra G. Harding, Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, Dorothy E. Smith, Uma Narayan, Silvia Federici, Kathi Weeks, and the rest offer a solid theoretical and methodological grounding to this book. The book also uses relevant scholarly sources from several other disciplines and theorists on Dalit studies to clarify the role of nature and function of politics and history in constructing the caste and gender-based hierarchal social structure.