Revisiting the Marginal Locations of Muslim Women on Various Sites in India

Dominant discourses on Muslim women have revolved around their marginal locations in community as well as in society. It has mainly been subjected to socio-economic and political structures and conditions as well. However it is worth mentioning that marginality is not only a lived experience but it has also metaphoric dimensions. The state of marginality not only relates to the poor socio-economic status of Muslim women but the politics of representation of their identities like ‘veiled’, ‘passive’ as well as ‘meek victim’ in various discourses also constructs the core of their marginal location in the larger society. Therefore the marginalization of Muslim women seems to be visible in various discourses in India. In a nutshell, the paper will make an attempt to comprehend the undercurrents functioning behind the construction of the very concept of marginality and locate Muslim women in popular and academic discourses on marginality