Forgotten Feminisms: A Subversive Retelling of Indian Womxn’s Resistance

The book moves from prehistory and ancient India through the medieval and colonial periods and into the freedom movement. It revisits stories associated with figures such as Draupadi, Surpanakha, Nangeli, Savitribai Phule, Rani Lakshmibai and Jhalkaribai, while also bringing attention to courtesans, enslaved women, sex workers, tribal women, labourers and transwomen.

Sindhu Rajasekaran is a writer and researcher whose work engages with Indian history, identity, gender and social justice. In Forgotten Feminisms, she brings together historical research and feminist storytelling to question established narratives and recover overlooked voices from India's past.

Forgotten Feminisms is divided into three broad sections. ‘In an Antique Land’ revisits women from India's ancient and medieval past, questioning simplified ideas about patriarchy and highlighting figures and communities whose stories have often been overlooked. ‘In Coloniality’ examines the impact of British colonial rule on women and queer communities and follows resistance from social reformers, warriors, workers and marginalized women. The final section, ‘Coda’, turns to women involved in the freedom struggle, workers' and peasants' movements and anti-caste resistance. Together, these stories form a provocative alternative history of India centred on women's agency, resistance and the continuing struggle for dignity and equality.