Description
Matrilineal Communities, Patriarchal Realities offers a critical feminist analysis of matrilineal societies in South Asia, particularly focusing on how women’s legal rights to property and inheritance don’t necessarily translate into genuine gender equality. Through extensive ethnographic research, Kanchana N. Ruwanpura challenges the romanticized notion of matrilineality as a ‘feminist nirvana.’
The author demonstrates that despite women’s formal control over property and lineage, patriarchal ideologies and practices persist in these communities. She explores the gap between official rules and lived experiences, examining how kinship structures, family dynamics, and social norms continue to constrain women’s autonomy and decision-making power.
This nuanced study provides valuable insights into gender relations, property rights, and social change in South Asian matrilineal communities, contributing significantly to feminist scholarship and development discourse.
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