Bengali Women

By Manisha Roy

Book Overview

Drawing on personal experiences and interviews with other, Roy explores the frustrations and rewards in the lives of Hindu Bengali women in upper and upper-middle class families in India. Roy traces... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226730433
• ISBN13: 9780226730431
• Release Date: December 1992
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating

This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of traditional (upper-middle class) Bengali women and their families. Roy presents a thorough analysis of the dynamics of extended family life in West Bengal. She begins with an exploration of the special bonds that develop between father and daughter, then moves on to how schooling and classic literature play a role in developing a young woman's idyllic view of married life. Later she contrasts that ideal with the reality of being a stranger competing with one's mother-in-law for the attentions of one's husband, and how this is tempered with the birth of children, especially sons. Finally, she discusses middle age and the later years, when the children have grown and women seek companionship from their sons or religious personages. In some respects, the dynamics that Roy describes here are probably generally found in any culture with a strong tradition of patrilineal extended families. Other aspects of life, particularly religious life, are more unique to Hindu and Bengali culture. The book was originally written some 30 years ago, and certainly there have been many changes in Bengali culture during this time. But even as a window into Bengali family life of the recent past, it a very interesting and well written study.

An in-depth study of Bengali Women's Daily Lives

A Wonderful book that details a Bengali (India) woman's life from birth to death. An enjoyable and informative read. By interviewing many Bengali women, the author gave amazing detail into what it is like to be a woman in Calcutta, by illuminating the subject's feelings, experiences, rituals and secrets. Manisha Roy also offers an update in the back of the book that chronicals the many changes that have happened since she first published the book some twenty years ago. The book gives a timeless glimpse into the private world of Bengali women. Subject range: Sociology/Women's Studies/Anthropology/Indian Cultural Studies, some photos. Highly reccomended!