Simone de Beauvoir towards feminism is interconnected with culture and traditions. Female writers were not being taken seriously until the 18th century. There is an enormous struggle behind the feminist theory. This phase is split into 3 parts:
- The first phase is related to imitation.
- The second phase is also called ‘Amazon utopia’. This is based on female-led societies.
- The last one is related to the self-discovery and a radical change in the vision of feminist critics.
Simone de Beauvoir influenced psychoanalytic and biological theories. These theories are the main source of her criticism. She also attacks the imbalance between male and female role in society. She confronts human history with a feminist perspective. She says ‘we women’, n0t ‘women by birth’ also talking about the feminine features which have been imposed on us by the society and norms. She also described the derivation of suppression and inwardness.
Now we can take a look at Nivedita Menon’s book ‘SEEING Like A Feminist’. I got this book from my brother. Initially, I was reading it rapidly but by the time I comprehended its essence, I saw it jam-packed with various themes prevailing in our Indian society. I started to get the painstaking meaning of each word which talks about the authenticity of life.
We live in a multi-dimensional country with various religions, castes and colour. We can find multiplicity in every part of India. The colourful rituals and culture also have another side which speaks of Hindu upper-caste dominance and privilege which is injurious to others’ caste and religion.
She expressed patriarchy in her courageous voice without any hesitation. She described how women, consciously and unconsciously, take part in these structures instead of attacking patriarchy. The book is not only a theme of traditions in India but also an account of subjugation. It showcases the intersectional movements of feminism which have also been addressed globally.
Issues which have been addressed in this book are family, the sexual division of labour, dowry, marriage system, body, intersex, queer feminism, the Delhi high court judgment on Section 377, sexual violence, the Hindu Code Bill, the Pink Chaddi campaign, gender verification tests for the Olympic Games, Women’s Reservation Bill.
So I analyzed both the authors and critics. They are great in their own space. Simone de Beauvoir has emphasized the tradition and culture and women room in the literature. Nivedita addresses all the trending issues in India which need to be addressed and demands radial upheaval to change all pigeonholes.
Conclusion
To sum up, I would like to say that the diversity of issues grabs the attention of the reader. The origin of the issues has been well-defined in a very remarkable way with the solution of the complications.
A blunt attack on conformist tradition and emphasis on law and reality of rules and protocols has been addressed with great critical and logical power. We can feel the advancement of those theories which have been initiated by Simone de Beauvoir in Nivedita Menon’s book. Her book is a mirror of the feminist perception in the prevalent phase of society.