Volume V Special Issue III August 2025

Name of Author : Leena Stanley, Dr. B. Sajeetha

Title of the paper : Gender, Religion and Class : Tracing Intersectionality from Indira Goswamis The Moth Eaten Howdah of the Tusker

Abstract: Indira Goswami is one of the pre-eminent contemporary Assamese writers. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. Her literature is, in fact, an attempt to engender social change. It is her means to address the sociopolitical violence directed against by the oppressed and marginalized sections of society. Goswami explores the manner in which the politics of social construction affects the Indian woman. This article examines how Goswami presents the interconnected layers of her setting in The Moth Eaten Howdah of the Tusker to critique oppressive authoritarian, political, gendered, religious and sociocultural structures. The story analyses the intersecting character of Indian Hindu widows in a conservative culture where powerful regimes retain and impose hegemonic structures. It shows how power dynamics can change cultural norms and how religion can be used as a powerful tool to control and dominate underprivileged widows. Goswami employs the framework of Intersectionality in her novel to reveal how oppressive systems intersect with another.

Keywords : Gender, religion, oppression, widowhood, intersectionality.

DOI :

Page Number : 128-132