Culture, Women, and Rocaya: A Feminist Text/ সংস্কৃতি, নারী ও রোকেয়া : একটি নারীবাদী পাঠ

Abstract

Rokeya can be considered as Bengal’s first Muslim feminist thinker, writer and educationist who pioneered in her efforts to support female education and women’s empowerment. She was the first person in colonial Bengal who advocated for a direct connection between education and the progress and emancipation of women. She staunchly supported the fact that appropriate imparting of education will enlighten women and help them to unshackle themselves from the barricades of the rigid patriarchal and chauvinist norms of the society. Rokeya wrote extensively for the cause of women’s liberation and empowerment. “Stree Jaatir Obonoti” is a noteworthy literary creation of Rokeya where she meticulously outlines the inequality of the patriarchal culture, highlights the agony women faces due to patriarchal oppression, and points out several ways of women’s emancipation from the patriarchal norms. Throughout her life, Rokeya visualized and endeavored an emancipatory world for women. Consequently, in the light of “Stree Jaatir Obonoti”, this research paper attempts to trace how Rokeya advocated the issue of women’s empowerment as a system of their emancipation from the rigid patriarchal structure. The paper also aims to problematize the methods of empowerment as suggested by Rokeya in her essay and question whether indicators like education and financial independence can truly liberate women in this patriarchal social structure.