Caste Stigma in Bama’s Vanmam

Abstract

Bama's Dalit writing has been used to reimagine the ways of writing about Dalit women's lives and identities in a male-dominated and racist society that extends to the social-economic, political and sexual spheres of their lives. This paper focuses on the issue of caste identity in Bama’s Vanmam. It discusses the contribution of Dalit women writers and their works in developing the genre, especially the works of Bama as an autobiographer who breaks all the shackles and takes up the courage to fight against injustice. It is also an attempt to present the theme of identity crisis based on caste discrimination which was established from the beginning of the novel recounting the past of Bama’s life from her early years up to late adolescence as a Dalit. This paper also projects how the novel envisages the subaltern dream of equity and justice in society.