Women's Liberation: Exploring Its Social, Economic, Political, and Cultural Dimensions 1917–1947
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between women's collective action and the emergence of women's liberation in Colonial Tamil Nadu between 1917 and 1947. During this period, women increasingly participated in organized social, political, and reform movements that challenged entrenched patriarchal structures and colonial domination. Women's associations, nationalist organizations, self-respect movements, labour mobilizations, and campaigns for education, suffrage, and social reform provided platforms through which women articulated demands for equality, autonomy, and public participation. It argues that women's liberation in Colonial Tamil Nadu was not merely a by-product of nationalist politics but was shaped by women's own agency, leadership, and organizational networks. Drawing on archival records, newspapers, organizational reports, autobiographies, and contemporary writings, the research highlights the diverse forms of collective mobilization that transformed women's social and political identities. By situating women's activism within the intersecting contexts of colonial governance, regional social reform, and nationalist politics, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the historical foundations of women's rights and democratic participation in South India. It demonstrates that the period from 1917 to 1947 marked a critical phase in the evolution of women's collective consciousness, laying the groundwork for post-independence movements for gender justice and social equality
Authors: C. Vijayalakshmi, G. Palanivel
Institution: Annamalai University
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7203980998
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