Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 20.03.2026 | Accepted: 21.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
নারীমুক্তি
আন্দোলন: ঊনবিংশ শতাব্দীর বাঙালীর সমাজসংষ্কারক আন্দোলনের প্রেক্ষাপটে (১৮০১-১৯০০
খ্রীষ্টাব্দ)
ড. অন্তরা
চৌধুরী, সহকারী অধ্যাপিকা, নেতাজী শতবার্ষিকী মহাবিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Women’s Emancipation Movement: In the Context of Nineteenth-Century Bengali Social Reform Movements (1801–1900 AD)
Dr. Antara Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Netaji Shatabarshiki Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
Since 1914, March 8th has been recognized as International Women's Day, commemorating the movement of working-class women in New York in 1910. However, while this pertains to the international sphere, what was the nature of this women's emancipation movement within India—specifically in Bengal? To understand this, we must examine the nineteenth century. The nineteenth century marked a pivotal turning point in Bengali society and literature. During the eighteenth century, the British, having initially arrived with their wares for trade, gradually consolidated their political authority. Following the Battle of Plassey (1757) and subsequently the Battle of Buxar (1764), the British embarked on their administrative journey by securing the rights to collect revenue from Bengal, Bihar, and Odissa. Yet, at that juncture, the light of Western civilization had not yet begun to cast its influence upon Indian civilization. In the early nineteenth century, for the sake of administrative convenience—specifically to cultivate a class of indigenous clerks—a select group of Indians gained access to Western education. When this new generation of Western-educated youth analyzed their own society through a lens free of traditional prejudices, they were deeply distressed by the deplorable condition of Indian women. They realized that societal progress could only be achieved if the advancement of the larger segment of society—namely, its women—was made possible. Consequently, the emancipation of women became the central pillar of the social reform movements spearheaded by these newly educated youths. Although they encountered numerous obstacles on this path, they never faltered; and thus, under their leadership, a powerful wave of women's emancipation swept across the entire nineteenth century. | ||
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