Co-cultural Communication and Resistant Language: Dalit Women’s Social Strategy in Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs and We Also Made History: Women in the Ambedkarite Movement, and Viramma’s Viramma, life of an untouchable

Abstract

Muted group theory has considerably reflected on marginalized groups that remain muted and underrepresented. The distinct standpoint of these marginal groups gives them a voice to represent themselves in the dominant social structure, specifically the men of the marginal groups, forming a co-cultural group. Women, on the other hand, have been placed in a space that neither includes nor completely excludes them. Their voices remain unheard and are often misrepresented by the various interlocutors that have been appointed to present their issues upfront. The article analyses the communication strategies of Dalit women in a dominant public sphere and their oppressed position by delving into the distinct ways in which they communicate with each other as well as the dominant group, sharing experiences of oppressive realities and atrocities. The article contextualizes the arguments in Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs (2008) and We Also Made History: Women in the Ambedkarite Movement (2008) and Viramma’s Viramma, life of an untouchable (1997). It suggests a co-cultural communication framework as a viable tool for studying Dalit women’s experiences and the various communicative approaches they follow. In addition, it also employs Cheris Kramarae’s strategy approach to critically analyse how co-cultural groups use language as a resistant tool. The study infers that Dalit women follow a co-cultural communicative framework to assert their position and a resistant language that does not adhere to the aesthetics of the dominant literature, rather it disturbs the reader to make them experience the same pain that they have suffered.