Honor, Violence, and Recovery: The Stripping of Female Agency During the Partition of India

Authors

Anna k. Poole, Kennesaw State UniversityFollow
Ryan Ronnenberg, Kennesaw State UniversityFollow

Name of Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Ryan Ronnenberg

Faculty Sponsor Email

pryan4@kennesaw.edu

Author Bio(s)

Anna Poole was an undergraduate student at Kennesaw State University who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History in May 2024. Ms. Poole's other work includes the article Reckoning Roanoke: A Historiographical Examination of the Lost Colony. She is passionate about public history and making the past as accessible as possible for those in the present.

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

In 1943, the partition of India sent thousands of people on a perilous journey over geographical and religious lines. While this time period was marked by heartache for all, women were specifically affected, as societal ideals made them targets for brutality, kidnapping, and forced conversion. This paper analyzes the treatment of women during partition and effects of recovery efforts which took place after the year 1943. By utilizing firsthand accounts, interviews, and the works of other historians on this time period, it posits that recovery became an extension of maltreatment that reinforced the patriarchal ideals that made women victims to begin with.