Volume VI Special Issue I January 2026

Name of Author : Dr. Saradashree Choudhury

Title of the paper : Intersecting Margins: Gender and Class Discriminations in Indira Goswamis Sanskar

Abstract: Indira Goswamis short story Sanskar intricately weaves a powerful critique of the dual oppressions of gender and class within the socio religious fabric of Assamese society. This paper examines how Goswami foregrounds the struggles of marginalized women whose bodies and identities become the battlegrounds for patriarchal and class driven control. Through the protagonists experiences, the narrative exposes the deep seated hypocrisy of a Brahminical order that perpetuates purity, chastity, and obedience as markers of a womans virtue, while simultaneously denying her autonomy and dignity. Goswamis nuanced storytelling challenges the notion of Sanskar or moral virtue as a construct designed to sustain social hierarchies rather than spiritual ethics. The storys spatial and symbolic landscape, serve as sites where systemic violence manifests both physically and psychologically. This study situates Sanskar within the larger discourse of intersectional oppression, drawing on feminist and Marxist frameworks to highlight how gender and class oppressions intersect to reinforce each other in the lived realities of women. By employing a narrative style that blends realism with empathy, Goswami not only exposes the exploitation embedded in the structures of religion and custom but also reclaims the subaltern female voice from silence and erasure. The paper argues that Sanskar transcends its immediate regional context to articulate a universal critique of patriarchal and class exploitation, inviting readers to interrogate the ethical foundations of social virtue.

Keywords : Feminism, Gender, Class, marginalization, patriarchy.

DOI :

Page Number : 37-42