Purity and Communal Boundaries: Women and Social Change in a Bangladeshi Village

In 'Purity and Communal Boundaries: Women and Social Change in a Bangladeshi Village', Santi Rozario explores the layered dynamics of a central Bangladeshi village where Muslims, Hindus, and Christians live side by side. Through a carefully built theoretical framework, she shows how class and communal domination reinforce gender inequality, and how religion, sexuality, economics, and politics all shape women's position in society.

Rozario draws on concepts like sexual purity, shame, honour, and parda (seclusion) to make fresh observations about the links between socioeconomic change and intercommunal tensions. She also addresses the gap between economic demands and traditional values, noting shifts such as women's growing physical mobility and the move from dowry toward bride price.

As a Bangladeshi woman, Rozario holds a unique vantage point. She worked around the mobility restrictions that would normally prevent local women from doing extensive anthropological fieldwork, and the result is a rare scholarly look at her own society from within. She is a Senior Lecturer in sociology and anthropology at the University of Newcastle, Australia, with research interests spanning women's studies, religion, and community development.