Assumed Subalternity, Intersectionality, Equality, Emancipation, and Equal Citizenship

Title 

Decolonizing the Discourse on Muslim Women's Rights - Assumed Subalternity, Intersectionality, Equality, Emancipation, and Equal Citizenship - A comparative Analysis of France and India

Research field

Decolonisation, intersectionality, freedom of religion, Muslim women, equal citizenship.

Introduction

This research critically examines and seeks to decolonize the discourse on Muslim women's rights, emphasizing the complexities of intersectionality, equality, emancipation, and equal citizenship, with a comparative analysis between France and India. 

Abstract

In her seminal work "Can the Subaltern Speak?" Gayatri Spivak contends that the British colonial policies in India, framed as as a mission to save "brown women from brown men", were supported by the British feminist movement, employing the condition of Hindu women to legitimize colonial dominance under the guise of modernization. Similarly, the French colonial regime in Algeria justified its actions through reform agendas for Algerian women, ostensibly aimed at emancipation but often reflecting Eurocentric and ethnocentric perspectives, neglecting the unique experiences of non-white women. 

In the post-colonial context, Vrinda Narain asserts that the Indian personal law system perpetuates the subalternity of Muslim women, particularly in the face of policies such as the hijab ban, criminalization of triple talaq, Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA), and Uniform Civil Code (UCC). This echoes concerns about the denial of agency and gender equality of Muslim women, mirrored in France where debates on religious clothing, especially among migrant Muslim women, center around the principle of religious neutrality in the public sphere, ostensibly promoting emancipation but simultaneously restricting fundamental freedoms including their access to the public sphere, education and economy. 

This research, conducted, seeks to explore the enduring impact of colonial knowledge production on the discourse surrounding Muslim women's rights in France and India, examining intersections of race, gender, religion, and the politics of emancipation. The study employs a post-colonial lens, revealing how colonial constructions of subalternity persist in contemporary discussions on women's rights. Utilizing a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach, the research incorporates secondary sources such as scholarly articles and primary sources like legal documents, aiming to expose how colonial legacies shape ongoing challenges in upholding quality, non-discrimination, and the rights of Muslim women to equal citizenship in both France and India.