Making the Private Public: Witnessing Female Infanticide in Nineteenth‐Century Kathiawar.

  • Published In: Gender & History, 2023, v. 35, n. 1. P. 124 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Murthy, Pashmina 3 of 3

Abstract

Nineteenth‐century British colonial discourses on female infanticide in India were marked not only by horror but also by frustration at being unable to detect its commission or identify its perpetrators. But in 1835, after years of thwarted efforts, three cases of daughter‐murder were successfully investigated in quick succession in the tributary of Kathiawar. This article uses manuscript transcripts of one of these cases to show the investigation's reliance on midwives and female servants as witnesses. Focusing on their testimony, the article shows how these women became critical participants in the colonial epistemology of female infanticide, informing and framing British understanding of this crime while also challenging it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Gender & History. 2023/03, Vol. 35, Issue 1, p124
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0953-5233
  • DOI:10.1111/1468-0424.12568
  • Accession Number:161967975
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Gender & History is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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