Semiotics of Rape: Sexual Subjectivity and Violation in Rural India

241 Pages·2022·2.829 MB·English

by  Rupal Oza

Semiotics of Rape
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Semiotics of Rape
sexual subjectivity and
violation in rural india
Rupal Oza
duke university press
Durham and London
2023
© 2023 duke university press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid-f ree paper ∞
Project editor: Bird Williams
Designed by A. Mattson Gallagher
Typeset in Minion Pro by Westchester Publishing Services
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Oza, Rupal, author.
Title: Semiotics of rape : sexual subjectivity and violation in rural
India / Rupal Oza.
Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2023. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2022028093 (print)
lccn 2022028094 (ebook)
isbn 9781478019343 (paperback)
isbn 9781478016717 (hardcover)
isbn 9781478023982 (ebook)
Subjects: lcsh: Rape culture— India. | Rape—I ndia—A ttitudes. |
Rape victims— India. | Rural women— Crimes against— India. |
Social structure— India. | Social prob lems— India. | India— Social
life and customs. | bisac : social science / Anthropology /
Cultural & Social | history / Asia / South / General
Classification: lcc hv6569.I4 O93 2023 (print)
lcc hv6569.I4 (ebook)
ddc 362.883920954— dc23/eng/20220829
lc rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2022028093
lc ebook rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2022028094
Cover art: photograph by the author
For Jayshree Oza
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contents
Author’s Note ix
Preface xi
Acknowle dgments xix
Introduction 1
1. Consent 36
2. Compromise 65
3. Land 104
4. Death 130
Conclusion 161
Notes 173
References 185
Index 197
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author’s note
Throughout this book, names and places have been changed, with the excep-
tion of Bhagana. Stories about Bhagana are widely known, and I quote
from them and from Satish Kumar, who has been the spokesperson for
the continued protests. All given names that appear alone, including t hose
of people I spoke with in Bhagana, are pseudonyms. Field notes and most
interviews, likewise, have been anonymized.