Dalit literature in India: Issues of gender, caste, and resistance in Mahasweta Devi’s Breast stories

Abstract

With the development of subaltern criticism, studies of Indian history and literature have increasingly turned toward socially marginalised groups, among which Dalit literature has emerged as a significant research field. Written either by Dalit authors or about Dalit lives - the community occupying the lowest position within the Indian caste system - this body of literature foregrounds experiences of oppression, social exclusion, and struggles for dignity and justice. This article aims to highlight the critical potential of Dalit literature as a space of social critique and intervention by examining the interrelation of gender, caste, and resistance. Drawing on Dalit criticism, feminist criticism, and subaltern studies, the article analyses Mahasweta Devi’s Breast stories, demonstrating that her narratives not only expose intersecting structures of oppression in Indian society but also constitute literature as a form of political articulation that restores a voice to silenced subjects within a hierarchical social order.