Nine Degrees of Justice: New Perspectives on Violence Against Women in India

From an early focus on rape, dowry and sati, feminist struggles against violence on women in India have traversed a wide terrain to include issues that were invisible in the 1980s. In Nine Degrees of Justice, second and third-generation feminists share their perceptions on violence against women through a series of thought-provoking essays that establish that justice for women has not even reached double digit figures (hence nine degrees).

Has using the law led to justice for women who face violence? What does ‘justice’ mean for an individual survivor? How can we address violence in public spaces and cyber space without demonizing either? How do women in armed conflict move from being victims to actors? How can we start to speak about lesbian suicides and violence among women loving women? How do we ensure that women have a ‘right to choice’ when love is seen as a crime? Is prostitution a form of violence against women? What is the violence of stigma? And who is a ‘woman’ deserving representation from the women’s movement?

“With these powerful essays, Nine Degrees of Justice, bring out in the open many persuasive marginal voices pointing out their views and perspectives…This compilation raises uncomfortable questions, and directs search lights on women as subjects in all violent situations.”

— Vaijayanti Bezbaruah, CSSS Jawaharlal Nehru University

CONTRIBUTORS: Manjima Bhattacharjya | Shamita Das Dasgupta | Rajashri Dasgupta | Bishakha Datta | Maya Ganesh | Sonia Jabbar | Sharmila Joshi | Purnima Manghnani | Farah Naqvi | Puja Roy | Shilpa Phadke | Mona Zote