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Research Paper Out On the Kilvenmani Massacre!
The article explores the relations among space, caste and gender in Dalit massacres by locating the female survivors of the Kilvenmani massacre (1968) using feminist geocriticism and digital cartography. The introduction explores feminist scholarship in the field of GIS in order to situate the present study within the broader scholarship. This is followed by a section on the background and existing research on the Kilvenmani massacre. The next section summarizes the hybrid/mixed methodology which is a combination of feminist geocriticism (locating the female survivors in the place of violence) and digital cartography (physically locating the survivors in geographical maps and analyzing the relations). The section also details the materials that are considered in this article to identify the female survivors. The materials consist of both fictional (novels, films) and non-fictional (documentary, newspaper reports) texts that are closely read to understand the Dalit female experiences of the massacre. The next section gives the mapping of the female survivors using QGIS software along with the analysis of the data and the results to foreground the relation among caste, space, and gender in Dalit massacres. Both case studies, I (on the Marichjhapi massacre) and II (on the Kilvenmani massacre), are part of a larger study that aims to create a comprehensive spatial archive on the female survivors of selected Dalit massacres in independent India.
Research Paper Out On the Marichjhapi Massacre!
Dalit massacres in India are an understudied area of research, with even fewer works on the female experiences of the massacres. As part of a larger study that aims to create a spatial archive of the female survivors of selected Dalit massacres, this article maps the female survivors of the Marichjhapi massacre (1979). Being the first prototype of the forthcoming archive, a thorough analysis of the massacre is performed here using feminist geocriticism and digital cartography. The introduction gives the background to the massacre and foregrounds the absence of female narratives surrounding the massacre. The next section addresses the gaps in understanding the relation between space, caste, and gender in Dalit scholarship. The methodology section explains the steps involved in a feminist geocritical and digital cartographical approach, which is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research. The prototype of the cartographic visualizations using QGIS software constitutes the next section, along with a visualization of the results and analysis of the data. Dalit female experiences are foregrounded through a close reading of selected texts, both fictional and non-fictional. This will eventually result in the creation of an archive of female historiography by locating the survivors at the site of the massacre.
Events
Panel at ACH 2025 Conference
Women and Gender Minorities in DH: Building Community by Coming Together | 11 June 2025 – 10.30PM IST or 1PM EDT
Digitally Mapping Female Survivors of Dalit Massacres: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches
Digital Humanities Collaborative of North Carolina (DHC-NC) 2025 Digital Humanities Institute – held from April 4-5, 2025 | Online via Zoom |