Coloniality of Gender: Reflections on the Gender Rehearsals in Colonial Kerala

Abstract

Gender roles are performances rehearsed continuously irrespective of societies and cultures. Roles differ, but the rehearsals repeat at regular intervals. Gender roles thus are influx always. An attempt is made in the paper to probe into the gender roles in the context of colonialism.  Colonialism, as cultural and political conquest had left a profound impact on the native societies and mooted restructuring of existing gender norms. Colonialism created its own gender norms which was basically hegemonic.  The paper examines the gender relations that colonialism brought into the social institution of marriage, family and education among various castes of Kerala during colonialism and the resultant formulation of colonial gender norms. The topic is significant in the context of looking at colonialism increasingly a gendered act.