Milk Mothers, Marginalized Bodies: A Critical Exploration of Exploitation, Gendered Labor, and Caste in Mahasweta Devi`s The Breast-Giver

Bidisha Dutta , Dr. Meenakshi S.

Commodification, Reproductive labor, Caste-based oppression, Patriarchy and Exploitation.

"In a world where women’s work is consistently undervalued, their bodies become commodities—sources of life and labor, yet ultimately disposable once they are deemed unproductive," writes Silvia Federici, capturing the essence of Mahasweta Devi’s “The Breast-Giver”. Through the character of Jashoda, Devi presents a scathing critique of how women's bodies, particularly those of marginalized women, are commodified and exploited within systems of caste, class, and reproductive labor. Jashoda, a lower-caste Brahmin wet nurse, becomes the sole provider for her family by offering her body as a resource to the wealthy Haldar household. As her breast milk sustains their children, her value is reduced to her biological function. Once her "utility" fades, she is discarded, symbolizing how society treats women as expendable objects of labor. This article investigates the socio-political significance of Jashoda’s role as a wet nurse, using feminist and postcolonial frameworks to explore how Devi critiques the intersectio

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"Milk Mothers, Marginalized Bodies: A Critical Exploration of Exploitation, Gendered Labor, and Caste in Mahasweta Devi`s The Breast-Giver", IJSDR - International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (www.IJSDR.org), ISSN:2455-2631, Vol.9, Issue 9, page no.183 - 186, September-2024, Available :https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2409019.pdf

Volume 9 Issue 9, September-2024

Pages : 183 - 186

Paper Reg. ID: IJSDR_212460

Published Paper Id: IJSDR2409019

Downloads: 000347041

Research Area: Arts

Country: Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2409019

Published Paper URL: https://ijsdr.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJSDR2409019

ISSN: 2455-2631 | IMPACT FACTOR: 9.15 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

An International Scholarly Open Access Journal, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 9.15 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator

Publisher: IJSDR(IJ Publication) Janvi Wave

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