Negotiating Femininity: Representation and Power under Colonial Rule

Author(s)	Ms. Priyanka Sharma
Country	India
Abstract	This article examines how two distinct ideologies—Imperialist and Nationalist—have represented women as subjects within their respective narratives. It argues that these narratives reflect two contrasting understandings of modernity: while the Imperialist discourse defined modernity through a Eurocentric lens, the Nationalist perspective associated modernity, particularly in relation to women, with a sense of Indianness—that is, being “modern but in a different sense.” Furthermore, this study explores how women themselves carved out spaces for participation in the public sphere, especially through their writings. The article concludes that colonial reforms concerning women were not genuinely aimed at their upliftment but rather served to legitimize British rule in India. Nevertheless, from the 1920s onward, women made consistent efforts to assert their presence in the public domain, a process that is clearly reflected in their literary and journalistic contributions.
Keywords	Contesting womanhood; Representation; Imperialist; Nationalist; Modernity; Print; Politization of Woman
Field	Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-04-10

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research