The transition from domestic to public sphere: Women in the national movement of Odisha
Author(s): Pooja Sahoo and Sasmita Rani Shasini
Abstract: This article examines the transformation of Odia women from domestic subjects to active participants in the public and political spheres during India’s national movement. It contextualises this shift within the broader nineteenth-century debates on womanhood, colonial reform, and nationalist redefinitions of gender roles. By analysing the emergence of the “New Woman” educated, mobile, and politically conscious the paper highlights how Odia women navigated patriarchal constraints to participate in key phases of the freedom struggle, including the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, and Quit India movements. Central to this narrative is the life and activism of Rama Devi, whose leadership, political incarceration, and Gandhian commitment illustrate the gendered dynamics of nationalist mobilization. Drawing on autobiographical writings and prison accounts, the article foregrounds women’s experiences inside colonial jails, where imprisonment simultaneously symbolized subjugation and became a space of newfound autonomy, self-improvement, and political assertion. By exploring both elite and ordinary women’s contributions, it argues that women's entry into the colonial prison system played a critical role in redefining femininity, citizenship, and public agency in Odisha. The study thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of women’s political participation and the complex intersections between gender, nationalism, and carceral spaces in colonial India.
DOI: 10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i11b.572Pages: 116-123 | Views: 165 | Downloads: 103Download Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Pooja Sahoo, Sasmita Rani Shasini.
The transition from domestic to public sphere: Women in the national movement of Odisha. Int J Hist 2025;7(11):116-123. DOI:
10.22271/27069109.2025.v7.i11b.572
