Body Politics and Empowerment Level of Dalit Elected Women Panchayat Presidents in Village Panchayats of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Body politics is the latest feminist thought which includes women’s human rights, fundamentalism, sexualities and new technologies. It describes the struggles of women living in economic and socially vulnerable communities where their bodies are re-centered which are invisible in the process of advocacy and action. Women bodies experience major ways of exploitation where their body is considered to be the centre of all the activity in the development discourse. The visibility develops in the multiple forms of sexual and gender based violence including domestic violence, rape, and honor killing in public arena in recent decades. Dalit women are also fall under this category, therefore this study will be analyzed from the framework of feminism with Empowerment and Body politics. Feminist theories in general evaluate the power which dominates women and finds means, methods to dismantle them. Body politics on the other hand analyses the practices and policies through which power of society regulates the human and women bodies. Keywords: Body Politics: Women Empowerment: Dalit: Local Governance: Panchayat President.