Evolving Narratives: Public Spaces and Sexual Violence in Hindi Stories

Abstract

In patriarchal societies, places are often defined by linking them to gendered concepts of power. Therefore, “home” is interpreted as the domain of women, while “public spaces” are seen as the realm of men. This gendered politics of space becomes more aggressive when women challenge this binary and begin to appear in public spaces. However, the reality is that the presence of women in public spaces often leads to sexual violence. This manifests in heinous acts such as rape, but violence occurring through everyday verbal and physical contact often remains invisible or is normalized. Researchers in women’s studies, sociology, and psychology continuously study this phenomenon. Indian writers like Bang Mahila, Premchand, and Rukaiya Sakhawat Hussain have particularly highlighted public spaces, the presence of women, and social concepts in the beginnings of their writings.After the twentieth century, these issues have gained prominence in Hindustani fiction. Our paper will focus on the narratives and representations of gender-centric violence in public spaces within the Indian context through a comparative study of early Hindi short stories and those written after 2000. Through this discussion, we will also attempt to understand whether literature and its writers are neutral or if gender-based biases are concealed within them. Additionally, we will explore whether there are differences in the attitudes of male and female writers regarding this issue.