Questions of Representation in Dalit Critical Discourse: Premchand and Dalit Feminism (Chapter 7)

A significant protest against caste representation in literature occurred on July 31, 2004, at Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, when members of the Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi (bdsa) publicly burned copies of Munshi Premchand's novel Rangbhūmi. The action was sparked by a decision to include the novel in Delhi's twelfth-grade syllabus, which critics argued perpetuated caste bias by repeatedly labeling the protagonist as 'Sūrdas Chamār.' This incident underscores ongoing debates about representation and education, particularly regarding Dalit perspectives. The study examines these tensions through the lens of Dalit feminism, analyzing how literary works shape societal perceptions and the role of educational institutions in reinforcing or challenging caste hierarchies.

Brueck, L. (2016). 7 Questions of Representation in Dalit Critical Discourse: Premchand and Dalit Feminism. Dalit Studies, 180–201. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478091196-009