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Abstract
This paper analyzes the representation of Indian women in Korean print media during the 1920s and 1930s. Special attention is given to Sarojini Naidu, a poetess and nationalist. Indian women in particular Naidu, were focused upon during this period. These were strong and proactive women who brought about change in society, a view that was politically motivated. By describing Indian women in a positive manner, the Korean media obliquely sought to criticize their own oppressive colonizers. Just as the image of Indian women as passive victims had been partly used to rationalize British colonial intervention, the representation of strong Indian women helped the Koreans indirectly to critique colonial control. This Korean perception however, did not imply a progressive or liberal trend. Despite the positive interpretations of strong Indian women and the efforts made to present gender role models portraying Indian women as energetic to their Korean counterparts, the underlying attitudes in all such reports and comments were extremely patriarchal in that they focused on women with authentic and proven femininity.
Keywords
Indian women; Korea; India; Sarojini Naidu; colonialism; patriarchal nationalism
Introduction
The image of Indian women that was widely disseminated in the West during the 1920s and 1930s portrayed them in purdah (veiled) in the shadows of zenanas (secluded zones) where they were forced to endure unfortunate lives and pernicious traditional practices such as child marriage, sati, and the prohibition of widow remarriage. This negative image of Indian women was taken advantage of by 'modern' Britain in its pursuit to justify its colonial rule in 'pre-modern' India. It also served to reinforce the identity of 'advanced' British women who enjoyed active lives and free mobility and, therefore, was effective in highlighting the better status enjoyed by British women compared to their Indian counterparts.1
How, then were Indian women perceived by other contemporary non-western countries, in particular, those that were not identified with colonial rule in India? Using images that were less a reflection of reality and more a perception perpetrated by non-western countries that had no link to the political hegemony over India, perceived Indian women from a different perspective, that is, without disdainfully objectifying them as 'others.' Moreover, if the country was also under colonial mìe, as in the case of...