Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025)
Journal Space and Culture, India

Research

Intersecting Oppressions: The Lived Realities of Dom Women in Banaras, India

Published 2025-09-25

  • Anuradha Singh
    • ,
  • Rana Abhyendra Singh
    • ,
  • Prateek Gupta
    • ,
  • Vishal Singh Bhadauriya

Anuradha Singh
Professor, Department of History, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005

Rana Abhyendra Singh
Research Assistant, Department of History, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005

Prateek Gupta
Research Scholar, Department of History, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005.

Vishal Singh Bhadauriya
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of History, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005

Abstract

This research presents a theory-driven, qualitative account of how caste and gender work together to shape structural oppression in the lives of Dom women in Banaras (Varanasi), India. Based on fifteen in-depth interviews and approximately eighty hours of participant observation in the cremation settlements adjacent to the Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, the research adopts an intersectional lens rooted in feminist standpoint epistemology. Inductive coding of verbatim transcripts identifies three mutually reinforcing mechanisms—affective discipline (gendered coercion through gratitude and fear), spatial stigma (postal-code proxies for ritual pollution), and metabolic inequality (unequal exposure to toxic ash, bleach, and smoke) — that lock Dom women into hazardous, low-wage niches of the informal economy. Compared with both upper-caste women and Dom men, participants experience significantly higher rates of occupational injury, wage theft and everyday humiliation, confirming that caste-gender oppression is not additive but synergistic. The findings refine intersectionality theory by specifying how “purity” logics operate as a caste-gender gearbox in a South-Asian urban context.  By foregrounding the voices of one of India’s most marginalised constituencies, the study demonstrates why adequate social protection must address caste and gender simultaneously, rather than in parallel.

Keywords

Dom Women, Intersectionality, Spatial Stigma, Informal Labour, Banaras (Varanasi), India

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Author Biography

Anuradha Singh

Professor Anuradha Singh specialises in tribal and regional history. With extensive publications, she has mentored numerous doctoral and post-doctoral scholars. Her research interests encompass tribal history, the history of Kashi, gender history, and broader Indian historical narratives, with a focus on social history and sociology.

Rana Abhyendra Singh

Rana Abhyendra Singh holds a postgraduate degree in Sociology from South Asian University, New Delhi.  His research interests span the Sociology and History of South Asia.

Prateek Gupta

Pateek Gupta's research focuses on tribal communities, the history of Kashi, and gender studies, with a strong emphasis on social history.

Vishal Singh Bhadauriya

Dr. Vishal Singh Bhadauriya's research focuses on historical trends, economic history, and broader Asian themes, with particular attention to ethnographic understandings of regional and social dynamics. Dr. Bhadauriya explores the intersection of economic structures and cultural practices, examining how historical processes shape social and economic systems. He has contributed to several academic publications, offering new insights into the economic history of India and its connections to broader Asian contexts.

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