Secondary Source Assignment

Question- In what ways, archives can be used by historians to study the issues of Gender and
sexuality?

Answer- Gender, Sexuality and Archives

Archives are the written source of studying past events of history available to us in the form of letters,
memoirs, legal and judicial records, books, articles and autobiography etc like historical records.The
place where records are kept are called archives. There are three types of records in archive catogarized
in the work of Ranajit Guha as - primary sources like : letters, manuscripts and documents etc.,
Secondary sources like : Memoirs, textbooks and autobiographies etc. And Tertiary Sources : state's law
and judicial records.Every record of any kind , represents- social, economical, cultural and ethnical
information about the period which they belongs to. There are so many untold true stories and
experience of past circumstances by people of the different periods of history that we get from archival
records. Wheather it is public or private, each and every record contains some amount of historical
information about the past events in history. That is why, Archives are sometimes called as "historical
records" in history. Trust, liability, integrity, authenticity, legality, reliability are the features of archives
provided to write history by historian.By applying various methods of study the archives, historians are
capable of representating various aspects of history through archives. For Example- The Colonial Period.
There are legal and judicial records, testimonies, agreements, books, biographies, memoirs, letters and
text of the said period. Various kinds of Approaches and Methods of studying archive has provided a lot
of information specifically legal and official information about the colonizers and colonized in British Raj.
Colonial period (18th century- 20th century) was period of peasent rebells, Gandhi's rise, Reformations
and Movements led against British Raj also. Records of colonial times throw broder light on these
topics.These records are also called as "colonial records or archives". Colonial period in India, was also a
time of expression of Indian individual's view and thoughts through books and memoirs. This was time,
where elite and literate Indian citizen chose to express their thoughts through writing. Many women
too, can be seen appearing representing their thoughts and views in legal or private records.

Women's representation in colonial archives is a source of getting informational knowledge of gender

and sexuality, also a societal view of British India in colonial period.

In late 19th and 20th century, Middle class literated womens were started writing in the colonial period
in India. These writings as archive are used by historians to fetch general conciousness and society's and
also, a woman's view about itself and about the colonialism in india.

Also, the feminism and local class representation in archive were the topics emerging to study the
archives of diffrent time and places.
Many Authors and historians have worked on these gender, class and sexuality aspects of archives, like-
Anjali Arondekar, Natalie zemon devis, Antoinette Burton and Ranajit Guha etc. Work of these historians
are the study of different views and aspects of gender and sexuality in archives and colonial archives-

1.Feminism
Idea of modern feminism, is the representation of women as modern , liberate and intellectual
personality breaking all typicality and stereotypes describing woman as illiterate and dependent. The
modern wave of feminism affected the females migerating and travelling for getting higher education.
Archives as a source of past representation were starting seen as feminism travelling as a thought in
different countries by historians. The spread of the idea of modern feminism in late 19th century, was
travelling alongwith, intellectuals and authors in different parts of the World. In the same way, ideas
about modern feminism found its roots in india in the 20th century in colonial period. Antoinette
Burton's work- 'women writing house, home and history in late colonial India' , is a kind of article piece
describing about inter - connections between British India and Britain as connected history in actual
travel and migration. It actually emphasize on travelling of ideas of feminism in south india around 20th
century. In her work, she has made an argument related to feminism that , at present, colonial archives
of India we have, are full of public records and legal papers and have no space for private papers like-
Chandra's death(Ranajit Guha) and Approver's testimony (Shahid Amin) , called as "private Memories"
by Burton. She ,in her work, focuses on three work pieces written by three south Asian women about
their travelling and migrating experiences of Britain from India . A glimpse of Indian patriarchal society
and class discription can be seen in these three memoirs. Like, the memoir written by Janini Majumdar,
who was a daughter of first president of Indian National Congress, w.c banerjee, who migerated from
Bengal to Britain in early 19th century. This text, is a women representation of elite woman in
petriarchal society like- janiki and her mother himangini and also, a glimpse of social as well as political
impact of INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS in 1990's in women's life in India. whereas, memoir like of
Christian Barrister- Cornelia sourabji, is an example of some rare supporters of British Raj in favour of
education and independence for women (perticularly muslim women). The another text, of a novelist-
Athiya Hussain who's finding some positive aspects for feminism from old traditions and systems, is an
example of possitive annalisation of ancient past of traditional system to gain lost feminism in india. All
the three works of Burton's peice is an example of new representation of women- literating, giving
lectures, migrating, novelist and being educated in the late colonial period. This, is the new aspect of
woman in archive can be seen in Antoinette Burton's work.

2. Gender study in social and legal archives-

Every period of history follows some rulers and thier rules and discipline in their state. Those , who
break those rules had specific and decided punishment by King or the contemporary ruler. These were
recorded by royal ministers in contemporary time. These records not just explain the mode and kinds of
punishment in the perticular period ,but also the conciousness of legal and social rules to the people in
the country and how the punishments were decided through the social 'position' and gender of the
person. The class and gender , thus, can be studied through these records according to historians.
Natalie zemon Devis is an eminent feminist scholar and historian , who wrote a book called- 'Fiction In
the Archives', drawing social and legal laws affecting lives of people in the 16th century France. This is
annalisation work on remission letters written in 16th century France by local people to the king ,seeking
forgiveness of their crime. Natalie, through these pardon letters, wants to emphasize on seeing the legal
archives in new way as fiction or narrative feature created in the letters for seeking pardon to king. The
kind of narration made by royal attorney, notaries and intermediaries ,in the remission letters shows an
idealistic model of a person and a woman for social, legal and emperor's ruling system. Natalie here's,
focusing on voices of local people narrativised by royal notaries who were seeking pardon and
idealization of criminal and their crime by them for making that local and lower person forgiven by King.
Also, the petriarchy of men and position of women in that society also ,can be seen in the book as it
gives an example of some remission letters written for murder of wife by peasent showing her ditching
wife- "ill" and "agressive" like factors narrated by peasent to make his crime justifiable. Other two
examples as - anger and self defence like reasons to justify the criminal's side ,accused rural women
writing pardon letters to king and how victorial wars and festivals are used to narrate the attracted
version of 'criminal's innocent story' by royal attorneys. Apart from that, the emerging value of attorneys
and royal notaries as intermediators to locals and king in the 16th century France can be seen through
the letters.These example of remission letters are used by Natalie shows the another side of legal
archives apart from state's voice and supremacy but, as a suppressed voices of women and lower people
in the society of king's ruling country in 16th century.

3.Narration of female tragedy as Murder by 'law'-

There are so many past records present in archives section related to deaths in colonial time in India.
But,death records of females in india can be seen differently , in refrence of patriarchal society and
narration of death records by British law in india. 19th century female deaths and their records present
in archives are the pictorial story of silence of female in her own story, and this silence was suppressed
by male members of her own family and also by the British law at that time. For example- Chandra's
death article in subaltern studies Vth by Ranajit Guha. This is the compilation of defender speeches or
ekrars given by family members of Chandra, A Bagdi widow woman of beerbhum of west bengal. Every
statement, clearly defines interference of male members of the family and their decisions as ultimate
decision in the family. Wheather they all were not the close members or even the members of the
family, but, they were "mens of the bagdi caste" that was a 'license' to all male members of society to
supress women's importance and make themselves as ultimate decision maker in the matter. Even, the
British law didn't saw Chandra's importance in her own case, all that matters to them was - statements
of family members and narration of that as a crime of murder of a woman. The voice of Chandra is all
silenced and ignored in both aspects of the matter. Ranajit Guha tries to state the ignorance of women
solidarity and suppression of her voice in legal archives and narration of her tragic misshappening as
crime and murder. A quoted sentence of Michelle Focult in the article can compile the whole purpose-

"Murder is the point, at which, history intersects with crime". Whereas, some women like
Brinda( Chandra's sister) and Chandra, herself can be seen in the form of women solidarity as brinda
tried to save Chandra but she lost her and, Chandra denied for the abortion of her child and bravely
fought the petriarchal society and male supremacy in her caste.

4.Literacy and knowledge access to women-

Late colonial period, especially in India, was a time of elite and middle class women expressing their
thoughts and wills in the form of text and autobiographies of their own. Specially the Middle class
women, started appearing in legal documents of colonial archives and their will of being educate and to
get knowledge is something to be notified through the study of late colonial archives. This time, Middle
class women, who wanted to be educated and get knowledge not for the studies or the literacy, but
enough to understand the things related to their household chores and religious texts. They didn't want
to achieve anything by getting knowledge, but a genuine knowledge and understanding of everything
surrounds her, so that, she can know things better, like the other members of the family. There was no
voice of revolt against the patriarchal society can be seen in this, but a will to be educated is the main
feature emerging in the society of women can be seen. The issue, which is sometimes ignored by
historians while studying late colonial and colonial archives, is raised in the work of Tanika Sarkar's - "A
book of her own" describing aanautobiography of a Middle class bengali women from famous bengali
magazine "Amar jiban"- Rashundari Debi, who wants to be educated and literated, just to understand
the text related to vaishnavite religion. Therefore, she secretly learnt to read and write in bengali
language and finally wrote her own autobiography at the age of 52, in late 19th century. The story of
rashundri debi, us an example of patriarchy over woman's right to education and on her life itself. One
more interested thing, Tanika refers in the text is the similarity she uses in the life of rashundri debi and
saint chaitanya bhagwat of vaishnavism as, saint chaitnya used love of a woman to her husband to
express his devotion to Lord krishna. Similarly, rashundri's love and affection for read and write , and to
understand chaitanya bhagwat's text(autobiography) can be clearly seen. But, there, she's not
explaining or complaining problems of her life as middle class woman, she only described here, was her
development to literacy and experience she got after read and write. Also, the old traditional and
orthodox mindset of late colonial middle class society in bengal against, education of woman can be
seen as, according to text, orthodox hindu family in bengal believed widow of woman is the result of her
will to be literate. The right of education of woman and freedom of woman as housewife, was how
suprresed through old mindset of society; and women's aknowledgement of their rights and education,
how, attained through understanding religion and religious text - is the main focus of tanika sarkar in
study of late colonial archives.

5. Sexuality described in colonial archives-

Sexuality in Colonial or late colonial archives has been studied as law , status, census and record of
british india. But, how sexuality is used as 'weapon' to impose crime and brutal laws to colonizing
indians , are yet untouched by historians. Anjali Arondekar, a mid 19th century scholar, boldly argues
that, there are some untouched topics like- sexuality, pornography and gender census in colonial
archives , which needs to be seen through new method of studying archives and these untouched
"traces" can be studied through different approach to sexuality in colonial archives. In her journal-
"without a trace: sexuality and the colonial archives", anjali majorly focused on the history and study of
sexuality regarding colonial archive , not by reading legitimized way, but a record showing description
about sexuality as counter history of that period. It is a compiled conclusion of arondekar on works
written on colonial archives, such as- shahid amin, ann stoler, Rudyard Kipling, Jacques derrida and
gayathri social etc. Homosexuality, hetero sexuality, pornography and prostetution in the colonial period
, are the topics which are beyond laws and legitimisation of british state in india. These topics are
descriptively explained in arondekar's journnal.

Colonial Archives : As a matter of Gender And Sexuality

As a result, there is a lots and lots of issues like - concept of modern feminism, gender and legal law,
literacy, independence , sexuality and will to be educated , etc. Like so many issues which can be studied
through different and modern approach of annalising archives. Archives are not just legal, judicial or law
papers of any period or any contemporary state, but they can be related to many aspects of life in past
civilizations and periods like- social, economical, cultural, literal and religious. More importantly, they
are realted to many class and local people of a contemporary state, for example- men, woman, children,
peasents, pot maker, sculptor, artists, soldiers, scholars etc. Colonial and post colonial archives are
studied as legal and judicial records of India by British state; but the silent voices and supressed freedom
of local people like peasents and woman are still to be recognised and studied. As Anjali Arondekar
mentioned in her journal-"The process of "queering"

pasts has been realized through corrective reformulations of "suppressed"

or misread colonial material". Late 19th century, was the time where, women's (elite and middle class)
were seen appearing in the legal archives of the state. This bold movement of literacy is itself a first step
towards study of archive, not just as legal archives but a the untold stories and past of literate class of
women , who couraged to migerate, literate and educate within, colonial period and also in the
petriarchal society in India. Gender studies of archives, not just gives a census or untold kind a story for
readers, but, also a contemporary social changes like formation of INC in 1885 and it's impact on families
in india can be seen, like through janiki majumdar story in Burton's work.Apart that, narration of deaths
and medical cases by British law can also be seen through Chandra's death in Ranajit Guha's Subaltern
studies V. There are many more studies are done ,and can be done through exploring Colonial archives
in gender studies. Race, class, sexuality, petriarchy, culture and religion. These are the things
called-"Subaltern" in colonial India, without whom, the whole past of British India and India itself is
incomplete. Therefore, It should be studied and annalysed by historians through new modes of studying
archives. Exploring the archives with every new approach , can give every new uncover truth and past
about life.